A Daisy for Your Troubles
by GGDeimos
Summary: This isn't how life is supposed to be, but she'll make the most of it. Daisy and her best friend Taylor are stuck inside of the new Pokémon game, and they can't escape it. A journey inside Pokémon: Recollection Edition, Kanto through Sinnoh.
1. Chapter 1

I think my parents have the coolest job in the world.

I'm dead serious. Who wouldn't want their parents to be voice actors for the number one animated series on television, Pokémon?

Even though I don't work along with them, I definitely have some perks for just being my parents' offspring. Kids at school know that my parents work for the American Pokémon Company, and they ask me for free games and merchandise and stuff like that. Of course I don't give it to them, it would be way too expensive, and we don't have any connection with the game section of Pokémon because that's mainly Japan's business.

It does give me popularity, though. I had a teacher who used to love Pokémon, and one time I accidentally left my homework at home. But he gave me a free pass so long as I brought him a special-edition Lugia trading card the next day! Really!

My parents only handle the voice-overs for the English anime, and they only play small parts when they actually do the voicing. Do you remember Edna from the anime series? Generation III... Old woman... Ring any bells? Remember anything?

If you did, it probably didn't click in your mind at first. In the Hoenn series, she was the old woman whose husband had died shortly after he boarded a train to go somewhere important, blah blah blah. Yeah, normally I wouldn't really remember. But my mom and dad asked permission for my grandma to voice Edna. Yes, my grandma. We have pretty good connections with people high up on the chain.

Until now, I had never regretted my parents having the job they have. Key words: _Until now_.

My name's Daisy, by the way. It's short for Daisen, the smally city in Japan where I was born. I'm American, though. My parents used to assist the animators in Japan, but then my mom got pregnant with me and didn't want me growing up there. I only spent the first year of my life in Japan, and don't ask me if I remember it. We also moved because my parents got promoted to do the voice work in America. Pretty cool, huh?

I think so too. Excuse me, I _thought_ so. It used to be totally awesome, but a few days ago… my life's been changed, to put it simply. Very, very changed.

_**~Three Days Ago~**_

On the day that everything changed, I was sitting on my bed playing Pokémon Platinum.

It seems weird, now that I look back on it. There I was, my future was going to change in less than four hours, and I was playing a video game. Strange, right? You'd think I'd be writing out my will and calling up friends to talk to them for one last time and spending time with my parents for a little while.

Mom and Dad got a call saying that the technologies section of the recording studio was having problems, so they rushed out of the house a few hours earlier, leaving me alone with Cookie, my Springer spaniel. I was okay with that. I mean, I like being alone. I can do things without having other people breathing down my back and have a little peace and quiet. It's nice.

I flipped open my Platinum guide to Crasher Wake's section. Earlier, I had promised my best friend Taylor that I would write down some info on him because I had finished the game ages ago, and Taylor had just started playing. I had recently "converted" Taylor into a Pokémon fan. I took pride in that... knowing I had converted someone to my "religion". No, I don't actually consider Pokémon a religion, but you get my drift.

I called Taylor up on my cell once I got my battle plan. "He has a Gyarados, Quagsire, and Floatzel... I would use your Luxio on Gyarados because it's got quadruple weakness, your Grotle on Quagsire-"

"Why can't I use Grotle on Floatzel?"

"Because Wake's Floatzel knows Ice Beam. Sending in Grotle is like sending it to a slaughter house." I didn't mention that I stupidly had done that very thing. Just then, my phone beeped, signaling that I had another call coming in.

"Can I call you back soon? My mom's beeping in."

"Yeah, but hurry," Taylor said. "I wanna beat Wake fast."

I clicked over to the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey honey, are you doing alright? Listen, I need to make this fast because I have to go, but Renjiro wants a kid to come up to the studio tonight to test the prototype for that new game, Pokémon Kioku. I know it's short notice and all, but he asked foryou because he knew that you would be more than happy to."

I shrieked. "They're letting me test the Japanese version of Pokémon: Recollection Edition?" Pokémon: Recollection Edition was a new game that was coming out in about three years to the Japanese (technically Pokémon Kioku in Japan) because of such advanced technology. Getting to test it would be such a privledge!

My mom knew that I loved Renjiro, the assistant technology producer from Japan. He transfered over to America because the Japan Pokémon Company wanted an experienced person to supervise the Americans in translating the gaming. Renjiro spoke fluent English, so whenever I went to the studio with my parents I would sometimes hang out with him and talk about merchandise, upcoming games, voice-overs, and even school.

"Renjiro wants someone else to test it along with you, so do you think you can call up a friend? You need to be at the studio by eight. And wear something comfortable. This new technology will blow your mind."

I could barely contain my excitement. "Okay. Thanks Mom. See ya at the studio around eight!"

As I hung up the phone, I let my mind wonder about the "advanced technology" my mom was talking about. Renjiro used to not even talk about it with me, so it must be pretty special and exclusive. I remembered when Nintendo DS touch screens were new technology. And Wiis. And even rechargeble batteries.

I needed to bring a friend, so I thought I would let Taylor come along. I called him up and said, "You doing anything tonight?"

"...Are you asking me out? 'Cause if you are, I can arrange-"

"No, dumbass." Taylor always had a crush on me since we were little kids, and sometimes simple little phrases that popped up brought on new meanings with Taylor. But, he was still my best friend. You just have to look past his perverted outer covering and get to the big heart on the inside. Trust me, it took me a while... I know it's hard, but don't stop getting to know him only after three minutes.

I began again, "My mom called, and she said that the gaming guy Renjiro at the Pokémon studio asked her if me and you wanted to test a new video game. Are you up for it?"

"Sounds fun. Just let me save my game and I'll be right over." Taylor ended the call.

I shook my head and sighed, yet I smiled. Doesn't anyone say good-bye anymore?

So, let me back up. I can tell I'm going a little fast. That's just how I am. Taylor and I have been best friends since we were in diapers, and our moms used to bring us over to each other's houses for little playdates. We both have pictures of each other naked in the bathtub that we like to call blackmail. Yes, it most certainly comes in handy.

We went to elementary school together, then to middle school, and now we're both freshmen at NYC High. Through the years we've stayed pretty close, and we tell each other everything, despite our gender difference. We sort of- I don't know- complete each other. Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but it's true. We fill up each other's spaces. Where I'm mostly serious, sometimes violent, independent, sarcastic, and at times a real kill-joy... Taylor is funny, weird, carefree, loud, and spastic.

Major differences, no?

I had some time to kill before I needed to leave around seven thirty in a cab. I'll be honest, I was really psyched for this opportunity. It's not everyday you get to test a high-tech video game that only few people have seen.

When seven thirty rolled around, I called up a cab and left my NYC townhouse. I had thrown my long brown hair into a side ponytail, and wore my favorite American Eagle hoodie. I let Taylor in about fifteen minutes earlier, and we were finally on our way.

Taylor was excited. No, that's an understatement. He was _so freaking hyperly estatic. _When I threatened to shove my fist down his throat during our elevator ride, he shut up. For thirty seconds.

"So what are we gonna do tonight?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"What's the new technology like?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"Who's this Renjiro guy?"

"I really don't know, Taylor."

"Yes you do! Stop saying that!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Why can't you just kiss me and then we can be happy?"

I punched him. "Where the hell did that question come from?"

"I don't know, it just seems like the answer to every couple's problem!"

"Well, we're not a couple, and it's not," I hissed, then sighed. Taylor was always coming up with idiotic solutions to our problems, ones that involed some sort of dating mechanism. To this day, I still can't believe why I'm still friends with him. Moron. But I love him... in a brotherly way.

I tried to muster my patience together. "I don't really know much about what we're doing tonight, I'm just along for the ride and so are you. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The ride to the studio was short, and as the cabbie let us off at three-seventeen Madison Avenue, I couldn't contain my excitement. "YES!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Taylor shot me a weird look. "Don't do that, people are watching."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you're one to talk, idiot."

We made the climb up to the twenty-second floor, and found the studio. I figured Renjiro would be somewhere around here. I pulled off my hoodie and my scarf, and sat on the waiting couch. Taylor sat beside me, and we waited.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of waiting and mindless chit-chat, Renjiro rushed into the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting, we were having some trouble with the headsets. Stupid prototypes. Always screwy somehow or another." He laughed. "So, you ready to try it out?"

"More than ready," I told him. I introduced him to Taylor, and we were on our way to try out the new game.

While walking down the long hallways to the secret studio, Renjiro and I talked like old friends. Well actually, we were. It had been a little while since I had come to the studio because I could stay at home by myself and didn't need my parent's constant watching. We chatted about upcoming releases, the new Pokémon movie coming out in the summer, friends, grades, and other nonchalant stuff.

The three of us came to a halt in front of a door with a sign that read, "Pokémon: Recollection Edition." Renjiro punched in the code on a keypad, and the doors slid open, revealing a pitch-black studio. Renjiro flipped on the light switch.

"Introducing, our latest technology!" Renjiro announced. We looked around...

...And just stared. To be honest, it didn't look all that advanced. Two pairs of headsets lay on two mushroom-shaped chairs. The headsets looked like something you'd see from a Blue Tooth commercial. They appeared to just pop into your ear and stay like that.

"So, what do you think?" Renjiro had walked up behind Taylor and me.

"It's just-" I struggled for the words, "so.... normal, as in something you would see every day." Renjiro could tell I wasn't impressed.

"This is only part of it. Come to the back." He motioned for us to follow him to another area of the studio.

Taylor had been silent the whole time since we met Renjiro. That was something else about Taylor. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he won't shut up. But when he feels intrigued or confused, he's quiet. It strikes me as odd, because those are the times I'd be talking. Over the years, I've come to the conclusion we're wired much, much differently.

Renjiro led us to the latter part of the gaming studio. There, Taylor and I stood in front of a blank screen. I had just noticed that Renjiro had brought the headsets with him. "Stay here," he told us, "I'm going back for the chairs."

While Renjiro was gone, Taylor took the opportunity to tell me, "Pretty impressive. I can see how this works."

"Don't tell me," I said. "I wanna find out for myself." When it comes to book-smart technology things like this, Taylor's got me beat. But when it comes to common sense... don't even get me started.

Renjiro came back and told us to sit in the mushroom chairs, put the headsets on, stare at the screen, and wait for a second. I sighed impatiently. I was tired of waiting.

Suddenly, I felt sort of nauseaous and dizzy. A quick glance at my best friend told me he felt it, too. I started to feel sleepy, and I could barely keep my head up.

"I think I was wrong... this isn't how I imagined it would work..." Taylor's eyes glazed over, and he stared at nothing. I felt alarmed. Had Renjiro... ?

"Reeeeeenjiiiiiiiirooo...?" I called, my sylables slurred. My headset beeped, and a voice took over. "You're feeling the effect of the opium. It was coated on the chairs," Renjiro's voice told me.

"You drugged us?!?" I screeched. "With a freaking illegal drug?!? You plan to do that to both American and Japanese people when they buy the game? How did the company let you do this to us?!?" I was more than furious, I was literally writhing on the ground, but that was by more of the effect of the opium. Why the hell did he think he could do that to us?

"We're only drugging you as an alternative. This is only the prototype. We'll find another way to get customers unconscious."

They way he said that made me shudder. Sort of like how we were dispensable. What the hell had the company been reduced to? Psychotic morons?

Yeah, we'll go with that.

The opium had definetly taken its toll on my body. I couldn't move from where I was sprawled across my chair. _This is like some sort of sci-fi novel,_ I thought. _Nothing like this ever happens._

But I was more disturbed by Renjiro. Why did he pick me to be drugged like this? I thought he was my friend. Did he really want it like this?

To answer my question, I heard Renjiro over the headset. "This is weird..." he said, "I'm losing your mind's signal. Your's, and your friend's. This isn't supposed to happen... Oh shit..."

Great... nothing like that news to cheer me up.

I could actually feel my mind going. The last things I remembered was Renjiro coming in with a panicked look on his face, desperatly trying to shake me and Taylor out of our unconsciousness. At that point, I didn't care what was happening. I was too tired to hang on, which is what Renjiro wanted me to do.

Like I said, sci-fi much? I think so too. You only see this stuff on Star Trek, I'm not kidding. Why me? Why Taylor?

What the heck? Why was this happening?

One thing was for sure, though: We were on our way to being inside the actual game, Pokémon: Recollection Edition.

***~*~*~*~***

**Hey everyone! **

**Scorchtail here! I hadn't been writing in a while, I know, I'm sorry. I had some serious writer's block with The Inheritors, and I just couldn't finish it. Hopefully I'll have better luck here. But I can only do that with the help of you guys. Seriously, your reviews are like fuel for writers. If you have any complains, please include them in your reviews. Any suggestions, do the same. I want to finish this one out. For you guys. I don't know how often I'll update, but please R&R and I'll try my hardest, I swear.**

**And also, a real woman voices Edna. ^_^ I was feeling a little random and decided to put that Daisy's grandma voiced her.**

**You'll learn more about the game in the next chapter!**

**Scorchy**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or American Eagle. Only my characters. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Daisy, wake up!"

I moaned, and pulled the covers up over my head. "It's too early," I complained. "You know I don't wake up until at least-"

I froze in mid-sentence. Suddenly, memories were flowing into my mind of what had happened to Taylor and me yesterday.

We had been drugged at the Pokémon studio by Renjiro, and sucked into the game of Pokémon: Recollection Edition.

So what the hell was I doing in a bed?

I threw the covers back, and leapt out of a twin bed to find Taylor standing over me in a white night shirt and red-checkered boxers. I stared wildly into his eyes.

"Where the crap are we?" I cried.

Taylor shook his head. "I was hoping you would know that!"

I took a look around at my surroundings. We stood in a white room with beige carpet and a single TV. Two beds on the same wall faced the TV. The bed I was sleeping in had a yellow print, while Taylor's had green on it.

On the other side of the room, a woman's voice came from somewhere down a hallway. "Daisy, Taylor, it's time for breakfast! Come on!"

Taylor and I stared at each other with large eyes. Obviously, we weren't alone.

"Should we go?" Taylor asked me after a few seconds of silence. "What if it's a serial killer? What if she's waiting to ambush us? What if-"

"Can you shut up? I'm thinking!" I snarled.

We were in the game, no doubt about that. And in our bedrooms. _This is how almost every Pokémon game starts,_ I thought. _I'm in my bedroom, and my mom is calling me downstairs. Somehow or another, she's basically going to tell me to move my butt to some town and visit a professor to get my Pokémon. But why is Taylor here with me?_

"Get down here now, before I call and cancel your appointments with the Professors!"

"The Professors?" Taylor asked in confusion.

I was right about the Professor part, but why did we have to have an appointment? And why were there more than one of them? Weren't we just supposed to show up and we pick our starter Pokémon?"

Then it hit me. We were really in the world of Pokémon! Damn, I already was having a slow day.

Taylor had already gone downstairs (food always gets to him), so I followed cautiously. If I was correct, this woman would be very hospitable considering she was our mom. But I wasn't taking any chances.

All senses on red-alert, I crept down the stair case. As I reached the bottom, I saw Taylor sitting at a table scarfing down pancakes with a little girl. I rolled my eyes. Obviously I was the only one who had a lick of sense here.

The little girl said to Taylor, "So, what Pokémon do you think you're going to be matched with?"

Taylor paused. "Ummmm... I don't really know yet." He continued eating his breakfast.

A woman with dark hair roamed into the kitchen. "Holly, stop asking your brother questions like that. After his appointment, he'll come back and tell you all about it."

Holly stopped pestering. "Okay, Mom."

I stepped out into the open, announcing my presence. "Morning, Mom. When do Taylor and I have to leave?" I thought I would play around with the scenario until I figured everything out.

My 'Mom' pulled out a piece of paper from the pocket of the apron she was wearing. "You're both going separate. The Professors can't see you at the same time, you know that."

Ummm, no. I didn't know that. And I was feeling uneasy at the thought of being separated from Taylor.

Turning to Taylor, Mom said, "You will be going at twelve-thirty, so it'll be best to leave from here on your bike around twelve. You're going to Roselit Town to meet with half of the Professors."

My mind was swimming. This wasn't making any sense. Or maybe it was, but the games weren't usually like this. There was only one Professor for each region, not multiple. But then- it _is_ Pokémon: Recollection Edition.

Mom pulled out another sheet of paper while she set down some pancakes that had been on the counter. "Daisy, you need to be at Hemsling Town by one. Leave here at.... about eleven, you know it takes a while to get there."

I raised my hand out of habit, then put it down hastily. "Uhhh, do I get to take my bike?" Assuming I had one.

Mom shot me a confused glance. "What bike?"

So Taylor has a bike and I don't? What, that's so not fair!

I had made a fatal mistake. "I mean-umm-what I meant to say was- oh never mind. Why the hell does Taylor get a bike and I don't?"

Holly, who looked to be around seven years old now that I thought about it, stared at me with her mouth wide open. Oooops, little ears were listening.

Mom looked pissed. She had a right to. "Don't use that language with me, Daisy. Taylor had asked for a bike on his birthday, like you have your motor scooter."

A scooter? How nerdy was that? Oh well, it's a form of transportation. I'll take it!

Taylor, who before had looked triumphant over me, now looked deflated. I smirked.

I made a sorry attempt to cover up my blunder. "Haha, I was just joking around with ya, Mom. I just wanted to test your-uhh- knowledge of me."

Pssssh, that sucked. I'd have to work on my lying.

Mom returned to the kitchen, so I sat down between Taylor and Holly and dug into my pancakes. Looking over at the clock on above the TV, I saw that it was nine-forty. If I had to leave at eleven, I'd have a little time to relax and get my head around things.

I glanced at Taylor. He looked nervous and pale. I didn't really blame him. "You okay?" I whispered to him.

Taylor looked up from staring at his pancakes. "I think so. This is just a little weird for me, though." He smiled, and I smiled back.

After finishing our breakfast, Taylor and I raced upstairs to get ready and talk. I sat on my bed while he sat on his.

We didn't say anything for a good ten minutes, and then everything came out.

"I don't know what to do or where to go!"

"What region is this?"

"What are the Professors?"

"Are we going to be trainers?"

We both went silent again at that last question. Pokémon trainers... something that in reality was only a Japanese game designed for passing the time.

Now, it was for real, and our new lives were going to be revolving around it.

I spoke calmly. "Let's start with the first question." I got up off of my bed and went over to the wall which had a giant map on it. There was a big arrow that stated "YOU ARE HERE" pointing to a small dot. The small dot said "Peachgrove Town." Charming.

"As the map says, we are here. This is the town we live in." I traced an orange path in the direction of east with my finger. "Roselit Town, where you are supposed to go, is right there. Like Mom said, it should only take you about half an hour on your bike."

For myself, I traced out another yellow path, heading south. Hemsling Town was a long distance away, but on my motor scooter I could make it in about two hours. I swallowed my nerves, determined not to show Taylor how anxious I was as I had done earlier.

"Here's the plan: You're leaving for Roselit at twelve, and I'm going to Hemsling at eleven. After we do whatever we're supposed to do, let's meet back here, and then decide what we're going to do after that."

"Sounds good to me," Taylor decided. Then he paused, and turned to me. "I'm glad I'm here with you Daisy. I don't think I would be able to make it if you weren't here."

I lightly punched him. "Glad you're here too, _bro_." I laughed.

Taylor took over for me. "Let's answer question two." We both looked up at the top of the map. In bold letters, the word "Kioku" lined the top.

"Obviously, we live in the region of Kioku," I said.

Kioku? Like the name of the game in Japanese? When did they start naming regions like the games? My mind had a billion questions forming for Renjiro, but he wasn't here anymore. Then I noticed something. Feeling the side of my head, I said to Taylor, "We're not wearing our headsets anymore."

Taylor froze. "But.... Renjiro said that we'd be wearing them for the entire game."

This wasn't making any sense. Unless...

Unless we were going to be stuck here forever with no way out.

I can't explain it, but I did it. I panicked. Usually, I'm not one who really panics, but when I did it this time, I really, really did it.

"WE CAN'T BE STUCK HERE FOREVER!" I screamed. I felt my eyes mist up. I'm not a crier either, but hey, wouldn't you be upset too if you found out that you couldn't go back to your old life? The one that was actually real?

"Renjiro said that this was only a game! I don't wanna stay here forever!" I was really crying now. Tears streaming down my face, I looked at Taylor for answers.

He had none. That didn't surprise me. I'm supposed to be the Pokémon know-it-all here.

Regaining my composure (which took a few more temper tantrums), I apologized to Taylor for my outbursts. "It's okay," he reassured me. "I'm really pissed too."

I loved Taylor. I'm glad he was my brother in this game.

"Question three." I spotted a laptop over in the far corner of our room. I sat down at the little chair, while Taylor stood beside me.

I pulled up a search engine on the Internet and typed in 'Kioku Professors'.

A whole list of results filled the page. Taylor told me to click on the first one, so naturally I did. Remember, he was the booksmart one. I figured he would know more about computer-information-thingies than me.

A Kioku Now! article came up about about a woman named Tawni Willow. It read:

**Professor Tawni Willow Turns Thirty!**

_Professor Tawni Willow entered the Roselit Community  
Center this weekend, thinking that she was in  
for another press conference about her Pokémon evolution  
theories. Instead, the young woman was greeted by the entire  
town of Roselit for her birthday!_

_"It was such a surprise," Willow told Kioku Now!. "Seeing  
all of these people that came to my birthday party really made my  
heart melt."_

_Willow currently resides in Hemsling Town, and is part of the group  
of world-renown Pokémon Professors. She works along her colleagues  
such as Professor Samuel Oak and Professor William Rowan.  
Willow also gives out the starter Pokémon to new trainers who  
come to Hemsling Town._

"That means I'm probably going to get to meet her since I'm going to Hemsling," I said. She seemed like a genuinely nice woman. I clicked on a large picture of her. She looked a little younger than thirty, and she was really beautiful. I clicked out of the box.

"No! Keep it up there! I wanna look at her some more!" Taylor was drooling over the picture of Professor Willow. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, question three is somewhat answered. So how about... _TAYLOR_!"

The moron had put Professor Willow's face as the background on my desktop, and he was still drooling over it. I shut the laptop with a BANG!, and thumped Taylor in the nose.

"She wouldn't be interested in you even if you were the last guy in Kioku! She's like, what, fifteen years older than you? I bet she's got a boyfriend anyway," I snapped.

Taylor grinned. "Is someone jealous?" He asked.

I punched his jaw and watched him land on the floor. "Yeah, real jealous," I said sarcastically. "We've got one more question to answer, so get your ass off the floor and help me. Although I think by all of our evidence we've pretty much figured it out."

I sat back on my bed, and Taylor did the same. Like before, there was a rather long pause. Finally, Taylor said, "I guess we're going to be Pokémon trainers."

In one instance, what seemed like a thousand pictures flashed through my mind. I remembered how excited I was when I got my first Pokémon game, Pokémon Ruby. I was about eight years old, the age that Dad thought was appropriate to get my first Pokémon game.

I played Ruby for hours the night that I got it, and I was a hell of a trainer, if I do say so myself. Most Pokémon-haters say that Pokémon is for little kids, but I've seen seven and eight year-olds trying to beat the game, and they just don't understand it. The IV's, strategies, and the game's course is just too hard for their little minds. But I understood it!

I loved to train my Pokémon team in every single Pokémon game, and now I was getting the chance to do it for real. Well, almost for real. Is this even real? Am I still in my mind? Then how is Taylor in my mind with me? It's too complicated to think about.

I wasn't going to pass up the chance, and I don't think Taylor was either. For a few minutes, we had both been with our own thoughts, but we were thinking about the same thing.

Taylor spoke first. "Are we going to do this?"

"I don't see an alternative," I said quietly. I brushed some hair out of my eyes. "Unless we find a way out, let's just make the best of it, okay?"

Taylor agreed. "I think this is going to be fun, anyway." He got up off the bed and stretched, while looking at his watch. "You might want to get going. It's nearly ten-forty."

Holy shit! Where did the time go? I was still in my night clothes! "Since we don't have time right now, we'll pack completly when we get back." I hesitated. "Assuming we're going to travel with each other?"

"Heck, yes!" Taylor exclaimed. "We're in this together!" He grabbed some clothes out of the dresser opposite his bed, and went into the bathroom to change.

I hesitantly opened the dresser drawer opposite my twin bed. I had no idea what kind of clothes awaited me in there. But I was pleasantly surprised- I pulled out a yellow t-shirt with a Pokéball on it and some jean capris. I usually wore that stuff at home, anyway. There was also a yellow bag hanging on the doorknob of our door. I assumed it was for me, and I was fine with that. I loved yellow.

At the first glance, people deem me as a tomboy. I cuss and am violent sometimes, so I can see where they get that. But I'm a girl too, so I like girl clothes. Just not pink. Yellow is my favorite color. Boy, am I contradicting myself. I'm a tomboy, yet a girl, who just doesn't like pink, but yellow. We'll go with the theory that I'm a hybird, okay?

While pulling my brown hair into my trademark side ponytail, I spotted some black Converse shoes sticking out from under my bed. I almost yelped with excitement- I love Converse!

The time was nearing ten-fifty. I yelled out a quick good-bye to Taylor, who was still in the bathroom, and bounced down the stairs. 'Mom' and Holly were in the kitchen baking, so I said that I would see them later.

"Yes, please come back before you take off, Holly and I have got a surprise for you and Taylor," Mom said, then continued kneading dough.

Who kneads dough anymore?

But more importantly, a surprise? Oh God, I hated surprises almost as much as pink. I only hoped it was a good surprise.

I found my way to the garage, and could barely contain myself. A yellow Moped-like scooter sat in the middle of the garage, waiting for me.

_I take my words back. I said that earlier that it was nerdy, but dear God- I think I actually like that thing! It's my favorite color!_

I pulled a hand-held map out of my bag, and went over the route to Hemsling Town. There was a side path that you could take instead of going through the major cities, so I decided that I would take it. I didn't want to explore any more than I had to without Taylor by my side.

As I backed through the garage and out onto the street, I couldn't help thinking to myself, _Is this really the worst thing in the world? It doesn't seem that bad. Maybe Taylor and I could actually stay here. Being a Pokémon trainer... I can't think of anything better._

The sun was shining, the grass was a happy bright green, and with the wind blowing in my face, I was on my way to see the Professors.

And get my first real Pokémon.

***~*~*~*~***

**Hey ya'll!**

**How did you guys like that chapter? Was it any better than the last one? I got a review from someone last chapter saying that it was horrible (well, they didn't really say that, but I think it was sort of implied). So I wanna know, did it get any better? **

**Read and Review! It's what keeps me alive and writing!**

**Scorchy**


	3. Chapter 3

Kioku's afternoon sun had reached its peak in the sky. Sweat lingered on my palms as I gripped my yellow motor scooter's handlebars. _Damn, this heat is almost unbearable,_ I thought. _I might have to go buy myself a bikini after my trip to Hemsling. Taylor would like that… pervert._

I adjusted the sunglasses that sat on the bridge of my nose and sighed. The wait (and the sun) was starting to get to me. It would only be another half hour until I got my first Pokémon! I felt just like Ash Ketchum. Except for the part that he was late to get his Pokémon, and I was very much on time. And he only had to travel right down the street to get his starter, while I had to travel about two hours to get mine.

And which Pokémon would I pick? There were too many to chose from. _If my assumptions were correct, the Professors would let me consider all of them because this _is _the Recollection edition. I really like Fire-types and Water-types. Grass-types are okay, but they're really not all that strong. Well, maybe Treeko's an exception. Its Speed stats are definitely something to fear when it evolves into a Sceptile. But Grass-types had so many weaknesses... the other two types to choose from sometimes had two types, which occasionally cut down on weaknesses... Fire-types don't really have as many weaknesses. And they are pretty powerful, especially in the Special Attack area. I like Squirtle and Piplup. Blastoise has steady stats and Empoleon has a nice HP level and Special Attack..._

My thoughts went back and forth like this for another ten minutes. Pros and cons, final evolutions... but I came to the conclusion that all in all, I really wanted a Fire or Water-type Pokémon.

My mouth started feeling dry, so I reached into my bag to grab the water bottle I had packed at home....

...And it was empty. I had already swallowed the last drop.

_Shit! How could I be such a moron? _I was supposed to ration my water so it could last me all the way to Hemsling Town! I slapped my forehead, and felt the sting.

A little while down the road, I saw that I had a lucky break. A tiny pond rested between two tall trees, providing excellent shade and a sip of water. I immediately slowed down and pulled off the path. I parked my scooter next to a large oak tree, grabbed my map out of my yellow shoulder bag, and began checking my co-ordinance.

"So far I'm on the right track," I said to no one in particular. "Hemsling is only a few miles up the road a bit, so I should make it in about twenty more minutes. Oh look, I'm a little ahead of time, so I can stop here for a while and-"

"Hi!" A girl who looked to be a little younger than me stuck her head out of the tree.

_What the hell?!_ I jumped and suppressed a shriek. "Don't you know you're not supposed to sneak up on people like that?" I hissed menacingly.

The girl's face fell. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said. "I've been here for a while up in this tree, and I must've fallen asleep. You woke me up when you started talking to yourself."

I sighed. She seemed nice enough. "It's okay. You just sort of scared me a little." I let out a laugh.

The little girl climbed out of the tree. She was much shorter than me with curly blond hair with a blue ribbon in it. "I'm Marie," she told me. "Also, is it alright if I bring my Lapras out of her Pokéball? We've got some work to do."

"My name's Daisy. Don't mind me." I went back to reading my Kioku map.

Marie tossed the Pokéball in the air. A red beam of light flashed, and in a matter of seconds a beautiful blue Pokémon appeared onto the pond. The Lapras yawned and stretched its neck.

_Whoa, a real live Lapras!_

"Oh wow, she's really beautiful!" I exclaimed, and felt my eyes grow wide.

Marie smiled. "You look like you've never seen a Pokémon before."

_Uhhhhhh, no. Actually I haven't. Not in reality, anyway._

"Well, uhh, I've just never seen a Lapras as, err, pretty as yours." I made a convincing face while brushing some loose hair out of my face.

It looked like Marie bought my cover-up. "Thanks. She really means a lot to me. Lapras used to be my grandmother's Egg that she raised. Nanna gave her to me when I was six." Marie held out her hand towards her Pokémon, and Lapras brushed her head against it.

"We're going to do some training. You see, there's a contest coming up soon in Rootwist City, and we've got to get our moves right." Marie's face was estactic. "Alright Lapras, use Perish Song!" Marie signaled the command with her hands, and Lapras started singing a song with dark notes coming out of her mouth.

Perish Song? The one-hit KO move? I covered my ears and screamed, "What the hell?!? I'm right here, don't do that!"

Marie called off the move. "Stop, Lapras!" she commanded. Then Marie turned to me and gave me a weird look. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean 'what's wrong?'" I cried in anger. "Lapras was gonna use Perish Song, then we were gonna pass out and then I would miss my appointment with the Professors!"

"The move only works on Pokémon, you know."

_Oh. No, I didn't know._

"Well, I had no idea. Thanks for not warning me." I pointedly stuck my nose back into my map.

"I'm sorry," Marie sighed. "I thought you knew, you seem like a person who's been around Pokémon before."

"I have!" And it was true. I had been around Pokémon, just...virtual ones.

"Okay." Marie went back to training. "Now Lapras, use Perish Song!"

This time I didn't duck or cover, but I watched Marie and her Lapras. They looked so perfect, so in sync with each other. The melody was so beautiful, like something you would hear from a well-rehearsed orchestra. The dark notes of the Perish Song swirled in rhythm around Lapras's head with her singing. The music sounded absolutely beautiful, until the end.

Suddenly, Lapras threw her head back and choked, breaking up Perish Song's melody. Marie sighed, "Not again." Her head leaned against the tree.

"What happened?" I asked, putting my map away.

"Lapras can't hit the highest note in the song. She's a natural alto, so it's hard for her," Marie told me, and Lapras huffed.

"What? It's not my fault you can reach them!"

Alto? _Pokémon_ uses musical terms? What the crap? These were Pokémon we were talking about, not humans.

Marie shuffled through her purse, and finally pulled out a beautiful, wooden flue. "I can play the notes on my flute. Nanna's best friend was a Lapras, and before she died she taught me how to play the notes just right." She sighed. "But even though I can play them, Lapras misses the last few notes."

Lapras let out a murmur and hung her head. "It's alright. I know you're trying your best, and I'm sorry I get frustrated. We just need a little more practice." Marie stroked Lapras' head.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I looked at my watch. I still had a bit of time before I needed to get on my way to Hemsling.

"Well…" Marie paused, thinking. "I'm sorry, but there really isn't. It's just up to Lapras to get it on her own." She offered a smile.

"Okay then." I gave my goodbyes. "I really hope you and Lapras get it down. Maybe I'll see you again someday." I walked over to Marie's Pokémon and reached out my hand. Slowly, Lapras reached out and brushed her blue head against it.

"Wow, you're special," Marie told me. "Lapras usually doesn't show that kind of affection to other people but me."

I laughed, and a smile formed on my lips and spread to my heart. I started heading back towards my scooter.

A few minutes later, I could see Hemsling Town's horizon on the distance. The heat had not let up at all, and I was sweating more than ever.

_Just a little longer..._

Finally, I pulled into the town. Charming, I thought. It looked sort of like one of those small towns you see in those western movies, minus the saloon, of course, and people were dressed like this day's age.

Locating a large building, I sped up and the scooter hummed. I passed people on the sidewalks ranging from four years old all the way to what looked like eighty-four. They all smiled and waved at me, and I smiled back, feeling pleased and at peace.

A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties stood outside the door. She had dark brown hair that flowed down her back and big hazel eyes that looked like you could drown in them. She waved and grinned.

I parked my scooter beside the sidewalk, and she greeted me. "I'm Professor Willow," she said. The Professor flipped her hair out of her eyes.

_Better keep Taylor away from her, or she's gonna become toast..._

I told her my name was Daisy, and that I was here to get my starter Pokémon. "Of course," Professor Willow replied. "We've been expecting you."

She led me into the dark building, which turned out to be not so dark on the inside. Assistants were hustling around the laboratory, trying to get things in order and meet their deadlines. Papers were flying everywhere and shouts filled the air.

"Sorry it's so untidy today; Professor Rowan and Professor Oak are giving a lecture on evolution stones tonight at the Mt. Nettle community center and we're frantic to get ready." Professor Willow rushed me through the cubicles until we reached a small secluded room. She typed in a numerical code onto the pinpad, and in response the silver doors slid open.

Four unoccupied chairs sat in the center a white room, and Professor Willow walked ahead of me, swishing her lab coat. She sat down and motioned for me to have a seat, which I did gratefully. I was still pretty hot, even in cool building.

"So, you're from Greenhaven Lake?" Professor Willow looked pleasantly at me.

"Uhh, sure, yup. Greenhaven Lake... my wonderful home!" Okay, new information: I live in a place called Greenhaven Lake.

"I grew up there too. I used to live right down the street from you. So many memories..." She smiled wistfully.

"Oh yeah, I've got some wonderful memories from home too." Like that time I woke up in freaking videogame.

We chatted idly for a while longer, until the silver doors slid open, revealing a man who looked to be about seventy with white hair and a mustache that seemed to match. Following him was another man with thick gray hair and bushy eyebrows.

_I know who they are!_

The man with white hair introduced himself. "Hello. I am Professor Rowan. Tawni tells me that you've come to pick out your starter Pokémon."

I twitched. "Y-yes sir. I a-am."

Jumping out from behind Professor Rowan, the gray-haired man exclaimed, "And I'm Professor Sameuel Oak! It's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand and I gingerly shook it. I'm not exactly a fan of hyperactive people.

Taking over, Professor Willow stood up. "So, I bet you're eager to get your starter Pokémon. Why don't we get started with the test?"

I hesitated, puzzled. "Wait, with what?"

"The three of us are have a few questions we'd like to ask you. It's a test to determine who your starter Pokémon is."

"That's retarded!" I burst out. I couldn't believe this! A test to decide who your starter was going to be? They didn't do this in the games _or _in the animated series! If Ash Ketchum didn't have to do this, then neither do I.

"That may be to you, but it's quite accurate." Professor Rowan folded his arms across his chest. "Then again, you don't even have to take the test; you can just leave here without a Pokémon."

I swallowed. _That is so not happening._Actually, it did make sense now. Well, sort of. When I was watching the Hoenn series, I had no idea that May Maple was going to pick Torchic as her starter Pokémon. She didn't really seem like a Fire-type sort of girl, and I had made a bet with some kids at school that she would pick Mudkip. You know, it seems like the majority of the calm and mellow trainers go for the Water-types. I learned my lesson not to judge when I coughed up five dollar bill the next day…

"Okay, I'll take the test," I reluctantly muttered. Shit, I hated admitting I was wrong more than I hated the color pink. I take that back. I'm beginning to think I have serious issues with that topic.

"Alright then! Right this way!" Professor Oak bounced out of the room and down the hall.

Turning to me, Professor Willow explained, "First, Professor Oak and Professor Rowan are going to question you separately, then you're going to battle with some of the Pokémon we narrowed it down to."

"Fine then, lead the way." I folded my arms over my chest. I wasn't thrilled with this idea, but I guess I just had to accept the way they do things in here. Even if it was incredibly stupid.

Two minutes later, I found myself in a room with hyper Professor Oak. I was seriously thinking about suicide while he was trying to make small talk with me which consisted of "So, what's your favorite color? Mine is orange since it's the color of the sunset!" and "I just love Pokémon. Don't you just love Pokémon?" Finally, he said, "Okay, let's get started!"

Professor Oak questioned me on my likes and dislikes and my personality. One of his questions was, "Do you prefer the ocean or a grassland?"

He's basically asking me if I want a Water-type Pokémon or a Grass-type. "Definetly the ocean," I replied.

"What is your strongest emotion?"

"Uhhh... anger, I guess. Well it's one that comes to me the most, anyway." Maybe that answer would lead me to a Fire-type...?

"Anger is unhealthy for you to have too much. I advise you to see a psychologist. They're fun!"

"I take it that you've seen one recently?"

"Yes, her name's Linda and every time I see her she always wears purple stick-on fingernails..."

_Kill. Me._

Professor Oak asked me a few more questions, and then led me down the hall to Professor Rowan. This time I was asked about my life.

"Well, I went to elementary school, and then middle school, and now I'm in highschool." Oh yeah, I used to live in reality with actual people and my parents had a great job being animators for the current world I'm now living in.

Professor Rowan twirled his mustache with his pencil. "Anything else you'd like to add to your uneventful life?"

_Blunt. I like that._ "Nope. It's not my fault I have boring lifestyle."

"Okay then, you're almost done. Wait here for a moment while I go talk to Professor Willow." He left me sitting in my seat.

I squirmed with excitement. I was so close! So close to getting my first Pokémon.

A few minutes later, all three Professors entered the room. Professor Willow approached me first. "Well, we've narrowed your options down to three Pokémon, a Water-type, a Fire-type, and a Grass-type."

Okay. That was good. "So what now?" I asked. I brushed some hair out of my face.

"You battle with each of them and see which one you like the best." The blond-haired woman put her hand on her hip.

Bursting from my chair, I exclaimed, "Let's go, then!"

The three led me outside to what looked like a battling arena. Professor Rowan handed me three Pokéballs. I knew how to take it from there.

Professor Oak stood on the opposite side of the arena, holding a single Pokéball in his hand. "Go, Magby!" He released the Fire-type Pokémon. The Live Coal Pokémon puffed his chest out, looking proud. I was determined to wipe that smirk off his face.

This is what I'd been waiting for. "Let's do this!" I threw the ball up into the air. It opened, and after a red beam appeared a Squirtle. I almost sqeauled with happiness.

"Magby, use Ember!" Professor Oak ordered it to attack.

"Dodge, and use Withdraw!" Squirtle followed my orders by dodging and drawing back into its shell, raising its defense.

Professor Willow called out to me from the sidelines, "Daisy, you can change your Pokémon any time you want to because it's only a trial!" I nodded.

"Now Squirtle, use Bubble!" I had played the games so much that I knew which attacks Squirtle could and couldn't use at this point. Water Gun was out of the question because he looked no more than level ten.

Magby took Squirtle's attack, but didn't back down. I called Squirtle back, and decided to send out my next Pokémon. "Go!"

Once again, the Pokéball flashed red. A Chimchar appeared in mid-air and did a somersault. I smiled, pleased.

"Use Leer!" A gleam showed in Magby's eyes, and I saw Chimchar cringe with pain.

"Chimchar, Scratch it!" Chimchar happily obliged.

It seemed like I could do this forever. As I gave order after order, I felt like I had missed out on something for my entire life. Battling came so natural, and I now held the power in the palm of my hand. I recalled the fiery chimp, and rubbed my fingers over my last Pokéball; moreover, my last Pokémon.

_Alright, let's see who you are._ I tossed the ball into the air.

The Tiny Leaf Pokémon appeared onto the ground, letting out loose leaves from the leaf on its head.

_Chikorita?_

I inwardly cringed. Chikorita had a horrible speed stat, not to mention most all Grass-type Pokémon have a poor moveset. Solar Beam, its peak move, wasn't even very effective in general battles. I didn't think this one would be any different.

Might as well work with what we've got. "Chikorita, use..." I trailed off. I had never ever used a Grass-type starter Pokémon in any of the games. In Pokémon Heart Gold, I chose Totodile because of its great stats. Chikorita is literally a leaf- it could be ripped apart any second.

Professor Willow could obviously tell I was grasping for something to work with. "Here, use this!" She threw me something that resembled a Pokédex. I flipped it open, and set it on Chikorita. It immediatley came to life.

"Chikorita, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. Level ten. Female. Knows Reflect, Cut, and Razor Leaf." That settles that.

I glanced at Chikorita, who was obviously raring to go. I started devising a strategy in my head. _Grass moves aren't effective on Fire-types, and Fire moves are effective on Grass-types, so..._

"Chikorita, use Reflect!" A glowing gold box formed around the Pokémon's little figure.

Professor Oak, who had been silent for some time, finally gave an order. "Magby, Ember!" His Pokémon charged, and a tiny flame showed in his mouth.

"Dodge it!" Chikorita narrowly missed it by ducking just in time. She jumped over the Fire Pokémon, spun around, and used Cut. Magby fell to the ground, writhing and moaning.

Surprised, I watched Chikorita for a moment more. I wasn't even furious that she had acted without a command. Just stumped that this Chikorita's speed stats were actually...good.

After a moment of a loss for words, I found my tongue. "Umm, use Cut again, Chikorita!" This time, she obeyed me, and used the leaf on her head to cut Magby. Again and again, she cut Magby until he was totally unconscious.

_Whoa..._

I looked at Chikorita, who looked at me in return. Something glinted in her eyes, something that like... a friendly twinkle.

Forget what I said earlier about Grass-types.

"I want her." The words were out of my mouth before I even thought them. Was I one-hundred percent sure? I could take those words back. I could have Squirtle, or Chimchar, or... Yeah, I did want her. Chikorita, who still had her eyes trained on me, did something that resembled a smirk. My type of personality.

"Okay, let's go inside then." Professor Willow had left her position on the sidelines and joined me. We started walking back toward the laboratory, with Chikorita trailing behind.

In no time flat, Professor Willow had given me instructions on how to care for my Pokémon, as well as given me a Pokégear (she entered her phone number), some Pokéballs, and some potions to start me off. I was anxious to get out of there.

She waved me off outside, where I had entered earlier. "Take care! You know where to reach me!"

I had already decided not to keep Chikorita in her Pokéball. Now the dilemma was, where was Chikorita going to ride with me on my scooter?

We walked to where I had parked my yellow scooter, and noticed for the first time- it had a basket attached to the front! Sweet!

"Hey, Chikorita, you're gonna ride in there." I pointed to the basket.

Chikorita huffed and turned the other way. Amused, I said, "Okay, then. See ya." I hopped on my scooter and cranked up the engine. She watched for a moment, and then begrudgingly hopped in the basket. The glare on her face was replaced with a forced smile. Chikorita would have to learn soon that my methods of psychology were cruel, but very effective.

"I thought so."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**GUYS!!!**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! Ya'll probably haven't noticed, but my pen name has been changed to GGDeimos, instead of Scorchtail. I was a little tired of that name, and only a few people understood it. So GGDeimos (yeah, like you can understand that one any better -_-), is here! I hope you like this chapter (And this shall probably be the longest chapter in the story, soo... if you got ADD, I understand), and read and review please!**

**~GGD**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own the lyrics to "Daisy Bell" and I also don't own ___. Enjoy!**

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

"_Damn it_!" Renjiro banged his fists on the computer keyboard. The second worthless day since the incident. The incident that he had somehow managed to cover up.

He flipped another switch on the control panel, only making more useless attempts at shutting off the screwy headset. Nothing had worked in the past two days. Renjiro stole a glance at the almost lifeless bodies strewn over the couch.

Daisy, fifteen, looked so calm as her chest rose up and down while she breathed. Her hand twitched ever so slightly, and soft snores came from her. The fifteen year old male, on the other hand, had a touch of drool on his shirt.

Sighing, Renjiro checked the deadbolt on the studio doors for the eighth time. He didn't want anyone interfering with his problems, especially not a select group of people- the Pokémon studio advisers.

The children's parents were not a problem; since the current season was summer, school was not in session, and the children had permission to stay for as long as the experiment permitted them to be there. Renjiro would crack the door open whenever the parents dropped by to check on their kids and say, "They're doing great. The experiment is doing well and Daisy and Taylor are having a great time being Pokémon trainers!"

Which, of course, was a lie.

Daisy and Taylor were doing the opposite of great. Three hours before, Renjiro had checked their body stability and found that it had dropped measurably. Their heartbeats were painfully slow, and Renjiro could only guess that this was a glitch that came along with the game and needed to be fixed. Daisy's face had paled, while Taylor's breathing became ragged. Panicked, Renjiro rushed to the medical wing of the studio, snooped around, and found some treasure- a life support machine.

Slightly stupid, yes, but helpful.

Luckily for Renjiro, his wife Jennifer happened to be a nurse. He had seen Jen inject several IV's over the years, and he figured, why not? He knew what he was doing. Almost.

Twenty-five minutes later, Daisy and Taylor were hooked up to the life support machine, doing slightly better than before. Renjiro shrugged. An improvement was an improvement. So long as no lawsuits were being filed, everything was okay.

The forty-seven year old man ran a rough hand threw his black hair. I don't need this kind of stress. _This wasn't even my damn idea. The game creators could have at least done a few practice tests on themselves before they reeled in some kids to try it. I'm gonna get sued for sure at this rate._

"Renjiro."

_Damn it! _Renjiro had been too busy inside his mind to hear the deadbolt of the doors being unlocked by a key. In the doorway stood Daisy's parents, Shannon and Kent.

Renjiro cringed. _My ass is fried._

Shannon and Kent stared at him for a moment, before reluctantly walking into the studio. They must have seen the sweat drops forming on the Japanese man's face, because they asked, "What's happening, Renjiro?"

There was still time to cover up. "What do you mean?" He countered.

Kent said, "We know there's a reason you're not letting us see Daisy." His voice rose an octave. "We know something's wrong, and you better let us see her right now, damn it!"

Shannon winced. Putting a hand on Kent as a warning to maintain his temper, she calmly faced Renjiro. "Just let us see Daisy, Renjiro. Please," she pleaded.

Renjiro couldn't do this to Shannon, not sweet Shannon, but he knew that eventually he would have to show them. Bracing himself for what lay ahead, he motioned to them to come to the backroom.

The click-clack of Shannon's stiletto heels sounded like daggers striking the floor in the quiet area of the studio. Renjiro was silent. Shannon knew that something must have gone horribly wrong. She used her husband's shoulder to remain steady.

Renjiro paused before opening the doors. Mustering all his courage, he faced Shannon and Kent. "I never meant for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Shannon sucked in her breath, preparing for the worse. Kent's face was slowly turning to a pale shade at Renjiro's words.

Renjiro pushed open the door, letting Daisy's parents through first.

Kent gasped, and clinched his fists. Shannon swayed, on the verge of passing out. Renjiro put a hand on her to steady her. "Shannon, I swear to God, it wasn't-"

"Get your hands off of my wife, you bastard!" Kent threw a punch at Renjiro, hitting him square in the nose. Renjiro stumbled backward into the wall, blood streaming from his now broken nose. He didn't make an effort to fight the man back, but instead cursed in agony.

"Kent!" Shannon screamed. Tears were pouring from her eyes. "Stop!"

Kent turned on her with rage in his face. "Look at her!" He pointed at Daisy's motionless body in the bed. "He did this to our daughter!"

Shannon mumbled, "I know." As if she were floating, she slowly walked over to Daisy and grasped her hand. Tears were streaming even heavier now, and she made sobbing noises.

Renjiro, still clutching his nose, tried to get his bearings. Kent was still standing over him, looking like he was going to pack another punch.

"How did it happen?" Kent asked, almost a whisper. His hands were shaking. When Renjiro didn't answer right away, Kent yelled, "What happened, God dammit!"

"I don't know!" Renjiro cried. "I guess the headset screwed up and now I can't get them out of the game! Her mind is still alive, but her body..." Renjiro swallowed. "Her body is slowly dying. I checked her vital signs this morning, and-"

"_DAMN YOU TO HELL!_"Kent, now with veins throbbing on his neck, furiously kicked Renjiro over and over again. Renjiro made feeble attempts to stop him, but he was weak compared to Daisy's father. "I won't accept that!"

Shannon, out of her daze, jumped from her chair. Grabbing Kent by the shoulders, she yelled, "Kent! _STOP IT!_" When Kent wouldn't stop, she gathered all of her courage and slapped him in the face.

Kent went motionless at his wife's assault. Slowly, he backed away from Renjiro, who was on the verge of unconsciousness. He realized what he had done, and he put his head in his hands and sobbed. "Daisy, Daisy..." He made his way over to the bed where she slept. Shannon did the same, leaving Renjiro on the cold hard floor.

Smoothing down her ruffled hair, Kent's rough hands brushed Daisy's forehead. He glanced over at Taylor, and for the first time since he came in he remembered that Daisy had brought her friend to the studio to try out the game. "We'll need to call his parents." His voice was barely audible.

"Yes." Shannon's voice was little more than a whisper. "What do we do? Do we take Daisy, or-"

Suddenly, a security guard ran in. "I heard screaming. Is everyone-" His voice caught in his throat when he saw Renjiro lying on the floor. "What the hell happened here?"

"He did that." Kent pointed at his daughter hooked up to the IV. His glare silenced the guard from saying any more.

"Please, could you call the hospital? Our daughter needs medical care." Shannon could hardly control herself from sobbing. Putting a lock on her emotions for a bit, she straightened up. "And you might as well call an ambulance for the man."

The guard looked startled. "Y-yes, of course." He silently walked out of the room without another word.

"You need to leave," Shannon told Kent. "You need to go home."

"But-Daisy needs-" Kent argued.

"Daisy doesn't need you losing your temper again like that at the hospital." A tear slipped down Shannon's cheek. "They'll take care of her, and so will I. You can come see her later."

Kent was silent. He knew it was no use arguing with his wife. "Okay."

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

Shannon hated hospitals. She hated the sterile alcohol smell, the incessant beeping of machines, and most of all- sometimes people never walked out of them.

She had ridden in the back of the ambulance along with EMT personel, her daughter, and her daughter's best friend to the Bronx-Lebanon hospital. As the building loomed closer, Shannon inwardly cringed. It would only be a matter of time before they hooked up the children to those horrible machines to keep them alive.

Once the children were settled in, the doctors became obsessed with running tests on Daisy and Taylor, and they ordered Shannon and Charlotte, Taylor's mother, to wait in the hallways.

Charlotte was hysterical. "I shouldn't have let him go! This is all my fault! I should never have let Taylor go somewhere where I wasn't with him!"

Shannon replied calmly, "Charlotte, don't make a scene. They'll throw you out." She glanced at the glaring receptionist.

Charlotte did some deep breathing. "I have to have my Taylor back. I don't know if I'll live!" She started wailing.

"Hush!" Shannon snapped, her patience with Charlotte wearing thin.

_And this is why I never host dinner parties with her anymore..._

A doctor dressed in white appeared, holding a clipboard. "Shannon Bourne?"

Shannon stood up. "That's me." She gently touched Charlotte, who had her head in her hands, and let her know that she was leaving. "I'll see you later," Shannon whispered to her. Charlotte didn't respond.

Once in the room, the doctor, whose name was Dr. Collins, gave Shannon the rundown of Daisy's tests. Most of the information seemed foreign to her, but she understood the gist. "Her body is basically with us, but her mind is... somewhere else," Dr. Collins tried to explain. "At this rate, her body will be able to stay alive for years with the help of a life support machine."

Shannon's breath caught in her throat. "So she won't _really_ be coming back?" She supressed a sob.

"There is a small chance, but it's highly unlikely." Dr. Collins touched her shoulder. "I'm very sorry, Mrs. Bourne." He quietly exited the room.

Feeling extremely nauseous, Shannon stumbled over to Daisy's bed. There was a hospital recliner sitting near the window, and she collapsed into it, wailing and sobbing. She couldn't get a hold of herself for minutes, but Shannon didn't care. Curled up in the chair, she gazed at her unmoving daughter.

_Daisy, daisy... why did this have to happen to you?_ Shannon thought. Her breathing still uneven, Shannon clutched Daisy's hand tightly. Memories of her little girl flashed back to her.

_Daisy, at the carnival, holding a chocolate ice cream cone in her little hand._

_Daisy and Taylor, both four years old, putting together a puzzle._

_Daisy, receiving her first Pokémon game, Pokémon Ruby version. "Yes! It's just what I wanted!"_

_Daisy, playing at the studio while Shannon and Kent were recording for the newest Pokémon episode._

_Daisy, celebrating her seventh birthday, watching Pokémon Advanced Challenge on a Saturday morning. A middle aged woman spoke on the TV, and Daisy exclaimed, "Momma! That's your voice!"_

_Daisy, now fourteen, gazing at the looming high school in front of her. "Damn, Mom..."_

"_Why?!" _Shannon cried, breaking away from her mind. She grasped her daughter's hand even tighter, and screwed her eyes shut.

Suddenly, the door open and Kent walked in. He sat down beside his wife and said, "Hey." His eyes were red and swollen, and Shannon could tell he had been crying.

Shannon told Kent everything the doctor had told her, and he sat as still as a stone the entire time. When she finished, Kent slipped his wife's hand into his own. They sat there in silence for several minutes, until Kent mumbled, "I shouldn't have lost my temper back there."

"It's okay," Shannon replied to him. She sighed, "Daisy was so much like you."

"You mean _is_. There's still hope for her, just like you told me."

Shannon smiled. There were times that she questioned why she married her husband, but there were times like this when she realized that she wouldn't want to be with anybody else. "I want to sing Daisy her song."

Kent made no reply so she started,

"_Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do, _  
_I'm half crazy all for the love of you. _  
_It won't be a stylish marriage - _  
_I can't afford a carriage, _  
_But you'd look sweet upon the seat _  
_Of a bicycle built for two_."

Shannon could just picture Daisy giggling like crazy like she did when she was a little girl. _My sweet Daisy_... Shannon thought. _Come back to us._

**_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_**

**Hey everyone!**

**So how did you guys like the newest chapter of ADFYT? I thoroughly enjoyed writing from Shannon's POV. And Renjiro's. I actually updated in a week. It's a new record people. A new record. **

**Ya'll know the drill! Please R&R! **

**-GGDeimos**


	5. Chapter 5

The ride back to Peachgrove Town was uneventful. I spent the majority of it talking to Chikorita, who appeared to be listening to me, occasionally nodding her head and murmuring "Chika". Anxious to find out about Taylor's trek to Roselit Town, I willed my scooter to drive as fast as it would go.

Spending a little time with Chikorita was nice. I figured that since we were supposed to go on a journey together, I needed to know a little bit about my starter Pokèmon. By the end of the ride, I felt that Chikorita and I had gotten to know each other better, and that was a start, right?

I arrived "home" at four thirty-two on the dot. Figuring that since this was my own house, I burst through the back door without knocking. Taylor was sitting on the couch absentmindedly stroking a Mudkip and watching what appeared to be a contest on TV.

"Taylor! You got a Mudkip! It's so adorable!" I generally don't think of Pokèmon as adorable, but seeing a Mudkip in reality was somehow different. I slung my purse over a kitchen chair, and followed Chikorita to the living room.

Mudkip, surprised at my loud voice, jumped a foot in the air and landed on Taylor's lap. "Shut up, Daisy!" he hissed. "It's okay, Mudkip, nothing's wrong... just go back to sleep." He continued stroking its dorsal fin.

I was so excited about Taylor getting a Mudkip that I didn't even come back with an insult to throw at him. Chikorita hopped into my arms and we sat down on the couch next to Taylor. "I take it your appointment in Roselit went okay? No panic attacks or anything?" I watched as Chikorita curiously sniffed Mudkip, then smirked.

Taylor laughed. "The trip was pretty boring. I hadn't figured out how out of shape I was until I had to pedal that bike for five miles... which isn't even a lot. I was scared a little at first when I got to Roselit, but that was expected. I just sort of wandered around for a bit till I found the building."

I asked, "Who were the professors?"

"Some guys named Elm and Birch. Elm made me wanna sucker punch him for being a smart ass, and Birch was okay. Pushy, but okay. They interviewed me for a while, then we went out to the battlefield and I tried battling with some different Pokèmon. In the end, I chose Mudkip here." Taylor smiled as he tickled the little guy. "What about you?"

I shifted my position on the couch as I recounted my mini-journey to Taylor. After I finished, I noticed that Chikorita was rubbing her leaf against my hand to get my attention. She hopped off my lap and bounded into the kitchen. "I'm guessing she's hungry, so I'm gonna get her something to eat. You know where Mom keeps the chow?" I asked Taylor.

"Second cabinet above the stove," Taylor said. I smirked. Typical Taylor.

As I poured some Pokèfood into a bowl for Chikorita, I heard shoes clicking the tile floor. I looked up to find Mom and Holly walking in from the garage, holding two boxes wrapped in bright colors. "Hey guys," I greeted them.

"Hi honey. When did you get back from your appointment?" Mom set down the box and took off her shoes, discarding her coat onto the table.

"Just got here, actually. What are those?" I motioned to the packages. Chikorita shot a Razor Leaf at my leg telling me that she was ready to eat, and I silently cursed, remembering how Mom reacted this morning.

"Something for you and Taylor before you leave today. Holly and I figured that we would give you guys a little going-away present for your journey." By this time, Taylor had wandered into the kitchen holding Mudkip to his chest. Holly instantly flew to his side and stared googly-eyed at the little Pokèmon.

"Can I open it?" This must be the surprise Mom was talking about earlier. She nodded her approval, handing the bright red box to me and the orange one to Taylor. I ripped the wrapping paper and tore open the box, and inside was a Pokèball. I almost squealed with delight.

Grasping the ball in my hand, I pressed the button to release whatever Pokèmon was inside. A beam of red light flashed, and a shape appeared. I held my breath, anxious. The shape shifted into the form of... a Vulpix.

I almost fainted with happiness. Vulpix was one of my most favorite Pokèmon, one that I tried to have on my team every game if it was available. They had nice stats, a pretty good move pool, and all around, Vulpix was a pretty awesome Pokèmon. Not to mention cute, too. I watched as the Vulpix yawned and stretched its little muscles, then rubbed its head against my leg. I couldn't help but break into a huge smile.

"Whoa, Mom, this is so cool! Thanks!" Taylor was jumping up and down, holding a Growlithe. Happy that Taylor was happy, I said, "Yeah, thanks Mom and Holly. That was really thoughtful."

Holly was staring at me with her eyes narrowed. She leaned over to Mom and muttered, "Why do they always get the cool stuff?" She huffed.

"Holly! May I remind you that just last month, you got that television up in your room that you wanted so much! I would not be talking, young lady." Mom scolded. "And anyway, Daisy and Taylor are going on a Pokèmon journey. It's a very special time, and when you get to go off by yourself on your journey, you'll be treated the same way too." She looked at Taylor and me. "I hope you like them. What time are you planning to leave today?"

"Uhhh..." I hadn't really thought about it all that much. "I guess in about an hour, I suppose?" I glanced over at Taylor to make sure and he nodded.

"Okay then, you go pack up." Mom put the discarded wrapping paper into the trashcan. Taylor and I bounded up the stairs, all of our Pokèmon trailing behind us.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Our belongings were packed in a few short minutes, considering we only needed to take spare clothes, my Pokègear (I found out from Taylor that while he received a Pokèdex, while I got a Pokègear), and my Pokèballs. We had a some time to kill, so we both lay on our separate beds watching our Pokèmon play.

"I'm confused." Taylor announced while putting his arms behind his head. "Professor Birch said I was from Greenhaven Lake, but the map on the wall says that this town is called Peachgrove."

I had wondered about that too. "I think the neighborhood we live in is called Greenhaven Lake, but we live in Peachgrove Town. Professor Willow mentioned she was from here." I fingered the pattern on my bedspread.

"Makes sense, I guess," Taylor mumbled. A few minutes passed in silence. "Hey, Daisy?" He said after a while.

"Mmm?"

"I don't think I want to be a Pokémon trainer."

My eyes shot open from when I was dozing. "What?"

Taylor's eyes widened. "Wait, I'm not saying I'm giving up Pokémon altogether. Just... I want to be another kind of Pokémon trainer."

"You're not making any sense."

"It was this afternoon, actually, after I got Mudkip. He's a baby, Daisy. Not like a chicken kind of baby, but like a _baby_ baby, you get what I'm saying?"

"No."

"I can't make him battle. I can tell that's not what he wants. And what Mudkip wants is what I want. So instead of becoming a Pokémon trainer, I wanna be a breeder." He hesitated. "I want to take care of Pokémon and raise them, not pit them against each other in a battle. Now do you understand?"

I struggled to grasp what Taylor was saying to me. After we were drugged and put into this hell-hole, the only bright light at the end of the tunnel was the thought of me battling and training next to Taylor. Now he's telling me that this isn't what's going to happen? But Taylor was my best friend... and now, my only friend. I needed to respect his decision, so I swallowed all the bad thoughts I had about this. It was time to support Taylor. "Yeah, I do."

Taylor visibly relaxed. "Good." And to lighten the mood, he added, "I'm just too scared to battle against you, you know?"

I laughed. It felt good to be with my best friend, no matter how much of a dumb ass he was sometimes.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Sorry for the long time without an update, guys! But hopefully I'm back for the summer, writing away. Reviews are very much appreciated. This chapter was sort of a filler for the next, so... stick around. More to come!**

-GGDeimos


	6. Chapter 6

"My feet hurt," Taylor moaned. His head drooped and sweat rolled down his arms. "Can we stop somewhere?"

"There's not a damn place to stop around here, Taylor! We're in the middle of nowhere!" I hissed. I was just as tired and frustrated as Taylor, but at least I could keep quiet about it.

I sighed. It was hot, even though night was falling upon us. The sun was just beginning to set, the aray of colors blending together and giving way to moonlight. Chikorita's leaf was starting to wilt.

Before we left home, I realized that Taylor's bike would not keep up with my scooter. So I begrudgingly promised Mom and Taylor that we would walk on our journey. _I can't believe I was stupid enough to give up my scooter,_ I thought. _I guess it's for Taylor... he better not be a pervert tonight, I don't think I could handle it without exploding._

Yards turned into miles, and miles turned into cursing and more frustration. _We're never going to find anything! We don't even know where the hell we're going!_

After approximatley five miles into our journey, I spotted a small dot on the horizon. _Could it be? Oh my God-is it? Yes! A rest stop! _The sign was just coming into view: Little Beth's Cafe and Inn. Woot! I didn't know who the hell Little Beth was, but I couldn't care.

I could tell by the look on Taylor's face that he had seen it too. He picked up his pace, and so did I. Chikorita struggled to keep up with us, so I scooped her up and put her on my shoulder. Her face eased into relief.

Mudkip was sound asleep in Taylor's arms, apparently not waking up even when his moron trainer constantly tripped over pebbles and rocks. He stirred in his sleep occasionally, and overall looked extremely cute.

Ten more minutes passed, and we neared the cafe. The both of us broke out into a run, and we burst through the doors of the small cafe. I let the cool air cover my tired body, and wiped the sweat off my brow. Chikorita leaped off my shoulder, and nosed her way through the tables and to the ordering counter while Taylor and I followed.

The cafe wasn't at all crowded; in fact, there was only one other person besides the barista. A rather tall woman with short golden hair stepped up to the counter to order. She wore a green shawl that covered her upper chest and left her stomach revealed with tan shorts and green hiking boots. She looked oddly familiar to me, but I couldn't place my finger on where she might have come from.

Taylor noticed it too. With his mouth wide open, he turned to me and said, "Daisy, isn't that-"

The woman turned around to choose a cookie from an aray of snacks. Her face was as white as a porcelan doll's, but I could tell that was her natural skin color as it was the shade of the rest of her skin.

"It's Gardenia!" Taylor said quietly to me. I was in shock. Gardenia might not have been my most favorite gym leader in Sinnoh, but she was still certainly one to uphold and respect. Even though her mind was basically a ball of fluff, her battle strategies were pretty sharp.

Gardenia turned back to the barista to pay for her coffee and cookie snack. I motioned for Taylor to find a table and put our stuff down. I got some cash out of my wallet (thankfully Mom had not forgotten to give us some before we left) and walked up to the barista to order.

Minutes later, I brought over our coffee to the table Taylor had chosen and dug in. Gardenia was seated at a table diagonal of us, and I was debating whether or not to go over to her and talk to her. I desperatly needed directions- I had not bothered to find a map, and, even if I had, I was pretty sure my Pokégear had a map, but that would not clear up my confusion considering I had no idea how to work it. I didn't want to ask Taylor because he would probably criticize me for being stupid. So I decided to to finish up my coffee, then go talk to her.

Taylor, on the other hand, would not stop gawking at Gardenia. I was tempted to throw some grapes that I packed earlier in his mouth, but then I figured that he would probably choke and then I'd have a murder on my hands. But when has that stopped me before...?

As I was drinking the last of my drink, I saw Gardenia out of the corner of my eye walking over to our table. My heart skipped a few beats and my palms started to feel sweaty. Taylor had not stopped staring, and his eyes followed her to our table.

"What a cute little Chikorita! It's so adorable!" Before I knew it, Gardenia had scooped up my Chikorita and was holding her to her chest. I had forgotten how much Gardenia loved Grass-type Pokémon, but with the way my Chikorita was staring at her, I could tell the feeling was not mutual.

"Uhhh..." I managed to say. "I'm Daisy, and this is my friend Taylor." Taylor was almost drooling now. "Stop staring!" I hissed at him under my breath.

"Hi! I'm Gardenia, the Grass-type gym leader from Eterna City, Sinnoh. Are you two from Peachgrove Town?" she asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" I answered.

"Most people who come to this cafe are new trainers just starting out on their Pokémon journey. And by how young and cute your Chikorita looks, I'd say that you guys just started today!" Gardenia ran her finger on Chikorita's leaf in a circular motion and she instantly relaxed. I told myself I would have to check that out later.

"That's right!" Taylor had wiped the drool off his chin and was now looking quite smug that he was talking to a celebrity.

I piled up our coffee trash into a central pile on our table. "What are you dong here in Kioku, Gardenia?"

Gardenia paused, obviously thinking. Her and Taylor are very much alike, they have to think alot before they answer anything. "I'm actually going to stay here for a while. Sort of like a vacation, I guess."

I asked, "Who's watching the gym while you're away from Sinnoh?"

Gardenia shrugged. "None of the gyms over there have been getting many challengers in a while, and I expect it's the same thing in the other regions, so a bunch of us just took off for Kioku. It was okay with the League Board, and if there happens to be any challengers stopping by while we're not there, the League will just send them here to compete in the Kioku League."

I wondered what 'a bunch of us' meant. It could mean the Sinnoh gym leaders, or maybe gym leaders from other regions... but I put those thoughts to the back of my mind so I could keep talking with Gardenia. "Sounds fun. It must be nice to get an extended vacation."

"Oh, it is! I brought all my Pokémon with me so we could go to the beach, tan, garden, hang out, double battle..." Gardenia gushed.

Typical. Except for the gardening part, but that was typical for her.

"Why double battling?" I asked her.

"Don't you know?" Gardenia said. She brushed her golden hair out of her eyes. "That's the way everyone battles here. Most people, anyway."

No, I didn't know that. Double battling came out in Generation III and I frankly think it's the stupidest thing I've ever seen. I mean, for one, it's way too confusing to keep up with good strategies (unless you write it down on a sheet of paper, which I'm too lazy to do), and two, you can't just focus on one Pokémon's beauty, grace, and strength, you have to go back and forth between two. Double battling has never worked for me, can you tell? _That's probably why Mom gave you Vulpix so you could double battle._ "Oh... that's neat."

"We don't want to keep you, Gardenia, but since we're new at this, do you mind telling us where the first gym is?" Taylor asked. I scowled at him since I wanted to ask her that.

"Sure! It's about two days from here if you're walking, in a place called Syntha City. Really nice place... tons of greenhouses to marvel at, skyscrapers as high as the sky, and really good food, too."

I said, "Sounds like you spend a lot of time there." I watched as Chikorita started to fall asleep in the Sinnoh gym leader's arms.

"I hear the gym leaders there are really hard to beat... you really should have a Fire, Flying, or Bug-type Pokémon with you." Gardenia said.

_It's a good thing I have my Vulpix,_ I thought.

Gardenia checked her watch. "Eight o'clock already? I need to get back home... this cafe is the only one around in a thirty mile radius that has my favorite coffee, Cinnamon Dulche." She licked her lips. "So, are you guys planning to visit Syntha City's gym?"

I looked at Taylor and he nodded. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Gardenia squealed, "Yay! Then me and Erika will see you there!" She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and set Chikorita back in my lap.

I got up from the table. "Wait, what?"

"Erika from the Celadon City gym in Kanto and I are the Syntha City gym leaders. We double battle with the trainers that challenge us." Gardenia said.

I felt excited and nervous at the same time. I would be going up against two of the most well-known gym leaders for my first gym battle. That was a ton of pressure, and I wasn't sure I could handle it.

Taylor muttered, "Some vacation, huh?"

Gardenia just giggled. "Well, I've really got to go now. I'll be expecting you at the gym soon, Daisy!" She ran out of the cafe's doors.

All I could say was, "Wow..."

"Who's the dumb one now?" Taylor smirked. He folded his arms across his chest while I glared at him.

The feeling in my body came back, and I hastily picked up our trash. I went up to the barista to talk about getting a room, and he directed me to the owner in the back. Taylor and I rented a room for three days so I could train for the gym.

About fifteen minutes later, we were up in our room settling in. I unpacked my bags since we were going to be there for a few days. I had a lot of work to do with my Pokémon.

I could hear Taylor's breathing deepen, a sure sign that he was out like a light. Chikorita was curled up next to me under the white sheet of our bed, not quite asleep.

"Chikorita?" I whispered.

"Chika?"

"You, me, and Vulpix have a lot of training to do," I said. She nodded her head in agreement.

"We might even need to get a new team mate."

"Chikaa!" She said in protest.

"I know, I know, it's a little early, but before we get to the gym we need to consider it."

"Chika chika."

"'Kay. Night, Chikorita."

But my little Pokémon had already fallen asleep, and I followed soon after, smiling as I drifted away.

**Wow, everyone, this is the first time I've updated after publishing a chapter YESTERDAY! Crazy, huh? Well, next week I'm going to camp, so I won't be able to update at all (but I will be thinking about all of you!). And that weekend, I'll be out of town, an d then after that, I'm back! But please R&R for me, okay?**

**-GGDeimos**


	7. Chapter 7

Team Rocket. Team Aqua. Team Magma. Team Galactic.

Evil teams in the mainstream Pokémon games have been going on ever since Red and Blue first began. They create dilemmas (most of the time extremely frustrating ones) and stir up trouble in the region you're playing in. Most of the evil organizations are absolutely badass (with the exceptions of Aqua and Magma), and sometimes you just wanna join them for rocking.

Beating Team Rocket was pretty easy in Heart Gold. I never had the chance to play Red/Blue or Fire Red/Leaf Green, so Heart Gold was the first time I ever experienced fighting against them. Their plot line was overall satisfactory, and my only wish was that Giovanni had shown up in at least some part in the main game (Wi-Fi events don't count). The grunts were stupid as usual, the officers were cool, and they had a good array of Pokémon.

Don't even get me started talking about Team Aqua and Team Magma. They shouldn't even be counted as an evil organization. Since I played Pokémon Ruby, I know more about Team Magma. But I know from Emerald that they both had the same plots, just different reasoning. The main goal of Team Magma was to expand the Earth's landmass. I mean seriously, what the hell? Same with Team Aqua, but they wanted to expand the oceans. Don't ask me why. The game creators in Japan must have drawn a blank when it came down to writing the plot line. Both teams annoyed the shit out of me, and I was glad when that plot ended. It needed to desperately end. Walking down the Magma/Aqua path will never be on my game agenda ever again.

I'll admit, I adore Team Galactic. Cyrus, their boss, was really the grand master of all things bad. What I loved about them was that they actually had a purpose, unlike Hoenn screw-ups Magma and Aqua. Saturn and Mars were my all time favorite commanders, especially in the anime. The game plot line was good too, especially the scene at Mt. Coronet and the Reverse World. I was pretty sad when I defeated them, so I actually would go back to Veilstone City to their HQ and talk to Saturn at least once every two days! Crazy much?

Now that I'm in the Pokémon world (or my mind), it's especially crazy to me. After what happened to Taylor and me today, I don't think I want to step foot anywhere near Team Galactic, or any of those other evil organizations for that matter. But, a game is just a game, right?

I couldn't have been farther from the truth.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

It had been a rigorous training day, and if I thought that I was about to suffer from a heat stroke, then I couldn't imagine what my Pokémon were feeling. Even though the day had been mostly cloudy, I could still feel the heat like the sun was only a mile away from the Earth.

"That was great guys, you two are doing really well for having only a day's worth of training!" I exclaimed to Chikorita and Vulpix. I had put them against each other in a battle and both had done exceptional. Chikorita held her ground against a Fire-type Pokémon, and for that I was proud. And even though Vulpix was somewhat slower than the average stat, she had an amazing defense and attack. "Let's stop for the day."

Taylor slowly stood up from where he and Mudkip were sitting on the patch of grass outside the cafe. Mudkip yawned and stretched, looking to be worn out just from watching the spar.

I returned Vulpix to her Pokéball, and put Chikorita on my shoulder. That had become a regular spot for her, so I let her stay. It was nice to know that I had Chikorita's support for our team and our cause.

We walked into the cafe, spotting Beth at the register. Beth was the owner of Little Beth's Cafe and Inn, and we had met her this morning. She was a plump elderly woman with gray hair fixed into a bun on the top of her head and wore a cute flowery apron. She waved to us and we waved back, seeing that fresh cookies were sitting on the counter, cooling down. It sounds very cliché, I know, but very thoughtful of Beth nonetheless.

Chikorita hopped off my shoulder and onto the counter, instantly grabbing a cookie. She yelped when it burned her mouth and I couldn't help but smirk a little. She glared at me, but then it turned into a little smile.

"Thanks for the cookies, that was really nice of you," I told Beth.

Beth nodded and fingered a pattern on her worn apron. "It's an old family recipe, one that my mother gave to me. But I added just a little more sugar for you two," she said, patting Taylor's cheek. He smiled in response, his mouth too full to say anything.

The elderly woman poured us glasses of milk, then we sat down at one of the tables closer to the counter. Because we were Pokémon trainers (and kids), Beth had given us a slight discount. "I haven't done that in years," she told us. "Then again, there haven't been any Pokémon trainers that have come from Peachgrove Town in quite a while."

Taylor and I ate in comfortable silence. I thought about how the training day went, and the progress we achieved. Chikorita's Razor Leaf needed a little work, but that was a minor issue. She just needed some help figuring out how to send out multiple leaves with one swipe of her central leaf on her head. Her balance needed a bit of work, too. Chikorita tended to fall to one side whenever she would run, and that caused her to slow down a little when she reached her target. She wasn't very fast to begin with (but she _is_ a Chikorita), but with a little work, that could change.

Chikorita and Vulpix really meshed well with each other, and that was wonderful since Kioku mainly focused on double-battling. They were going to be my main powerhouses for my team right now. The only problem was that they clicked so good, they couldn't fill each other's weaknesses (except for the type disadvantage). They were both slower Pokémon, and they had a bunch of the same stats. Now I just need to come up with a strategy that utilizes their skills as a whole...

The cafe bells chimed, signaling that someone was entering through the main door. Taylor and I both glanced up from our thoughts at the same time, looking to see who had arrived at the tiny cafe/inn. A man with spiky black hair a black coat walked in with his head down. He headed straight for Beth at the counter, his boots squeaking on the floor. "I need to speak with the owner," he announced.

"Well, uhh, that'd be me, sir," Beth answered nervously. I could tell he was making her uncomfortable by the way she was speaking, and she twisted her hands anxiously. "What can I do for you?"

The man leaned in, talking in a hushed voice to Beth. I looked at Taylor, and our eyes locked. Something was up, and it didn't look good.

A few minutes passed, and the strange man was still talking to her. Beth's face turned a pale shade of white, and I heard her mutter, "...I can't do that for you, no sir."

"Just hand it over, damn it!" The man shouted, banging his fists on the counter and making Beth, Taylor, and me jump. "I have my bosses on speed dial, perhaps you'll cooperate if you talk to them?"

Taylor and I stood up. "What's going on here?" Taylor demanded. He instinctively drew his hand to his Pokéball clipped on his belt.

The man smirked. "So you've got kids fighting your battles, eh, Grandma?" He curled his lips in a snarl. "Grandma and I were just trying to settle a little money issue, it's nothing to worry about. It's not any of your business."

"The hell it isn't," I hissed. "Leave her alone and get out of here. Now."

Chikorita growled menacingly, which wasn't helping at all since she looked adorable. "Leave her alone," I repeated.

By this time, Beth had reached into the register and pulled out what looked to be about three hundred dollars. "Just take it and please don't come back here." She shakily handed it to the man, but I intercepted it just in time and snatched it away from her.

"I'm not letting him take your money, Beth!" Panicked, I tried to back away from the counter to get away from the man, but he grabbed my arm and twisted all the way around to where it pressed against my back. I screamed in pain while Taylor lunged for him, cursing. The person yanked me onto the ground and I fell face first, busting my nose on a chair in the process. The pain was so blinding that all I could do was lay on the floor frozen in agony.

"I generally don't hurt little girls," the man said to me. "But you're an exception." He pulled away from Taylor and made a beeline for the door, knocking over chairs in the process.

"Growlithe, go!" Taylor called out the fire puppy. Growlithe instantly appeared. "Follow the man and pin him down, now!" The Pokémon shot out the front of the café right after the man with his tail streaming out behind him.

I had finally regained some balance to stand up, but blood was heavily pouring from my nose. Feeling dizzy, I stumbled over to Beth to make sure she was okay, but tripped over myself and fell in a chair. Taylor had gone after Growlithe, so I figured that he wouldn't need my help. That was a first.

"Call Officer Jenny, Beth," I moaned. "Is she in Syntha City?" God, I hope so.

"N-no, she's c-closer, there's a p-police st-station near here," Beth stuttered. She made her way toward the phone hanging on the wall while I tilted my head backward to stop the flow of the blood. My head was pounding, and I hoped Taylor was okay out there by himself, without me.

Minutes later, I found out that Growlithe had indeed caught the man, and Officer Jenny was on her way with a squad from a nearby police station. Beth and Chikorita had gone outside to check on Taylor, then returned to stay by me to make sure I didn't go into shock, and I now sat in the café with a bag of ice on my nose. Beth had examined it, figured that the break was clean, and that I just needed to take it easy.

But my nose was the least of my worries. Who the hell was that guy, and why did he come to steal money from a café/inn that barely anyone knows about? I was angry and scared. Maybe Officer Jenny would be able to give me details when she gets here.

Yet my eyes wouldn't stay open for that long. I felt myself slowly nodding off, and Beth stood me up and walked me to my room. I was trying to fight the feeling of unconsciousness, but it overcame me like a wave when I hit my bed.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

"Daisy? Daisy, wake up." Someone was standing over me, but I didn't care who. I just wanted to sleep.

"You've gotta wake up… we've gotta talk." I figured out the voice belonged to Taylor, but since I've ignored him in the past I thought that I could do it now, too.

"Hello? The robbery?"

Oh, shit. Now I remembered. We were freaking robbed yesterday. The damn guy broke my nose, and I couldn't stay awake for Officer Jenny's report. I slowly sat up in my bed, and gingerly rubbed my nose. "'Morning, sunshine," I muttered. I opened my eyes to find Taylor exactly three inches away from my face. "Get away, fag."

"Good morning to you, too." Taylor scowled. He backed away from me and Chikorita, who was still sleeping under my sheets next to me.

Feeling slightly guilty for being mean to Taylor first thing in the morning (which I usually don't do; I wait till we've been awake for at least an hour), I decided to say, "That was really brave, what you did yesterday for Beth."

Taylor gave a wistful smile. "I guess it was. But I can't believe he hurt you, Daisy... the nerve." His eyebrows furrowed together like they always did when he was mad.

I laughed. "He only broke my nose... it wasn't that bad, and it could have gotten worse if you hadn't have done something about him. What did you find out from Officer Jenny?"

Taylor rubbed his temples and sat on my bed. "The guy was part of a gang called Team RAMG-"

"Team RAMG? What kind of gang name is that?"

"-and since we don't know a lot about it, Jenny and the squad took him in for questioning, and we haven't heard from them yet-"

"Rest assured macho girl. Ring at my gorrilla. Rape and molestation great. Red armadillos may go. Raichu ate my garbage!"

"-Beth and I were downstairs making pancakes for you."

"Chocolate chip?"

"You know it."

Smiling, I said, "You know me so well." I climbed out of my bed and threw my hair into a sloppy side ponytail. Feeling nice, I leaned in to hug Taylor. "Thanks for being such a good friend."

He hugged me back. "What are friends for?"

I tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go. "Taylor."

"Yeah?"

"Please let me go."

"Sorry. Cherishing the moment, you know."

"Right..."

On the outside, I was happy. Aside from the whole robbery incident, this day seemed like it could be a good one. But no matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't shake the feel of worry about the information that Taylor had told me.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Wow! Isn't that like 3 chapters in three days or something? New record! New record! And another thing, I've noticed that the linebreaks I've been putting in to divide time in chapters are disappearing... hmmm... this has happened to some other fics that I've read, so I'm going to do what the other authors do and put in letters for linebreaks instead of my signature asterick/squiggle alternation (DTDT, for DaisyTaylorDaisyTaylor). Also, I'm going to make it a habit of replying to the reviews I get (and then hopefully, I'll get so many per chapter that I can't. Just kidding). So without further ado:**

**sweetlilsunshine-** I know, right? I just love Chikorita: she's my most favorite starter Pokémon of all time!

**rgooch-** You sound like you know what you're talking about. Thanks for the encouragement and I hope I do too!


	8. Chapter 8

"You know, I think I could actually live here. Well, survive here. Maybe."

"So, you're not interested in getting out of this hell-hole?" I muttered to Taylor crossly while kicking a pebble in my path.

"Daisy, how is Kioku a hell-hole? My definition of a hell-hole would be... Forks, Washington."

"Touché, brother, touché. You win this round," I laughed. Taylor had a point. Even though we had nearly been robbed the day before, the memory seemed like it had happened weeks ago and we had moved on. Kioku wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I actually liked the prospect of become a well-established Pokémon trainer.

We had left Little Beth's Café and Inn earlier that morning after some delicious chocolate chip pancakes, and now we were on the road to Syntha City and my first gym challenge. I was already mentally preparing myself for the battle that would ensue, and forming a strategy calmed my nerves.

I'll willingly admit that I never really played the games… by myself, per say. When Pokémon Platinum came out, I bought a guide to defeat it. And looking back on the memory now, I don't think I really even needed the guide… But it was a very thick book, and it had many more important aspects to it than just a guide for beating trainers. And when Heart Gold was released, I stayed on the Internet for hours looking up strategies when I couldn't formulate any of my own (which deeply frustrated me).

Bottom line: The Kioku Gym Challenge was going to be tough without some help.

And I wasn't going to get any help.

I sighed, determined to put the thought out of my head and come up with a strategy for beating Erika and Gardenia.

_Grass-type trainers… Chikorita won't really be any help, except for stalling. I'll have her use Synthesis multiple times, just to frustrate Erika and Gardenia. Then again, they've probably seen that before… I want this battle to be remembered. Vulpix knows Ember, Tail Whip, and Roar, which isn't all that great… but I guess this is where my faith counts-_

_Bam!_ I tripped over a twig and fell onto the dirt path with my limbs splayed. I managed to avoid directly hitting my face by turning my head to the side so I could protect my already-broken nose. Seething, I could hear Taylor laughing like a loon above me, and Chikorita joined in with him. I roughly stood up, threating to aim a fist at Taylor, when something caught my eye.

To my right, a boy who looked to be around the age of fifteen sat beneath a tree with his eyes closed and legs crossed. He had dark hair and olive-colored skin which blended nicely with his blue collared shirt. I sighed in relief that he hadn't seen me bust…

Taylor caught me staring at him and muttered, "See something you like?"

I scowled, then retorted, "No." It was the best I could come up with at the moment. But for some reason, I wanted to go over and talk to him, mainly since I wanted to know what he was doing under the tree.

_What is it with Kioku natives and trees?_ My mind flashed back to Marie as I walked to where the boy was sitting. When I finally reached him, I didn't know what to say. My brain had a momentary lapse.

_Damn it…_

Lucky for me (or not so lucky), he popped one eye open. "Nice trip over there. I bet the ants didn't enjoy the earthquake."

My face turned red. "How could you even see that? You had your eyes closed the entire time!"

"So you were watching me, then?" The boy smirked, but I could see a smile playing up in his blue eyes.

I couldn't say anything, but I didn't have to. He reached his hand out to me, and said, "Hey. I'm Stephen."

_Stephen…_

Tongue-tied, I managed to mumble, "Daisy. And this is Chikorita." I reached out to shake his hand in return while balancing Chikorita on my shoulder. Moments passed, and I realized I hadn't let go. "Uhhh… sorry… my brain's still a little jumbled from my fall."

Stephen smiled. "I'm glad you can at least admit it, not a lot of people do."

I blushed. "Yeah…"

Footsteps clattered behind me, and I looked to see Taylor jogging up to the tree we were under. "Daisy, we need to hurry."

Confused, I asked, "Why?"

Taylor frowned. "We just do, okay?" He tugged at my hand, trying to get me to follow, but I yanked away.

"Tone the obnoxiousness down a bit, Taylor." I said. I glanced at Stephen to gauge his reaction.

"It's okay," Stephen said, brushing the dirt off his pants as he stood up. "If your boyfriend says you need to go, I understand. It was nice meeting you, though."

"We're _not_ leaving," I growled. "And he's _not_ my boyfriend." Like I'd ever go out with Taylor…

"Fine, Daisy, we'll stay, but make it quick, okay?" Taylor asked.

"Don't tell me what to do," I told him forcefully. "If you're going to be an ass, go somewhere else and wait for me."

Stephen let a chuckle escape as Taylor stomped away to the dirt path. "He's… something, isn't he?"

"Something doesn't even begin to describe what I think of him right now." The wind picked up hastily, and I brushed some brown hair out of my face. "So, what brings you here to the middle of nowhere?" We both sat down under the tree, and Chikorita settled by my feet, curling into a tight ball.

"I'm from Seastraight City, and I came here for training. I beat the Syntha City Gym two days ago, and I was on my way to Aerosphere City when I realized my Pokémon probably needed more practice," Stephen replied. "What about you?"

"We're on our way to Syntha City. Taylor and I stayed in an inn for a few days to train since we just got our Pokémon."

"So, you guys aren't… together?"

I sputtered, "Hell no! He's just like a brother… only five times more annoying and twenty times more perverted."

Stephen said, "That's cool, I guess."

We sat in silence for a little while longer, enjoying the cool breeze that blew across the field. I glanced over at the road and saw Taylor playing with Mudkip and Growlithe, and felt slightly guilty that I had acted like so rash. But only for a second.

Suddenly, an idea came to me. "Let's have a battle!" I suggested to Stephen. As soon as Chikorita heard the word 'battle', she instantly perked her head up.

He blinked with his intense blue eyes. "Nah, I don't think so."

"Why not?" I questioned him. "Too scared to fight me?" Chikorita and I smirked simultaneously.

"Well, I'm just afraid I'll crush you… and I don't really like crushing cute girls."

I blushed and my heart caught in my chest. He thought I was cute? I managed to get out, "Oh, come on. It's just a battle. I'll call Taylor over here so he can referee for us." I sprinted to the path to get my friend's attention.

When I explained to Taylor what he needed to do, he asked sourly, "And why should I do this?"

"Because," I said exasperated, "You're my friend, and I can also tell you don't really like Stephen for some reason. So don't you want to see me beat him to a pulp in a battle?"

The aspect of me winning seemed to cheer Taylor up. "Okay, I'll do it. But only since you're going against him," he hastily added.

Moments later, Stephen and I were standing opposite each other on the plain. It was my first official battle since I didn't count the trial I had in Hemsling Town days earlier, and my heart pounded with anxiety.

Taylor seemed excited enough. He knew how to referee by watching Brock on the animé judging Ash's battles. He ran a hand through his hair, and called out, "This is a one-on-one battle between Daisy of Peachgrove Town and Stephen of Seastraight City! The battle ends when one of the Pokémon cannot continue. Let the battle... commence!"

I rolled my eyes and muttered to myself, "Cut the dramatics if only for a little while, Taylor." But then I remembered where I was. "Chikorita, go!" I commanded. Chikorita bounced onto the field from behind my legs, head up and raring to battle. She looked just as excited as I felt to actually be battling for the first time ever. I silently pleaded for her to remember the training we had done, but I knew that all I really wanted was for my lead Pokémon to do her best.

Stephen had a slightly amused expression on his face, and he fingered his Pokéball. "Totodile." He released the ball into the air, and the Big Jaw Pokémon appeared on the field in a beam of red light.

_A Grass-type against a Water-type… this should be easy enough._

"You can have the first move, Daisy," Stephen called to me from across the battlefield.

I wasn't about to pass that opportunity up. Blood pounded in my ears as I gave the first command. "Chikorita, use Razor Leaf!"

Tiny leaves propelled out from Chikorita's large leaf on her forehead. Totodile jumped and dodged every one of them, but Chikorita wouldn't stop. She closed in on Totodile, and a few leaves managed to hit her target. Totodile flinched and moved away.

"Leer, Totodile." He recovered, and a spark appeared in the blue Pokémon's eyes. I saw as my Chikorita cringed in pain. "Now scratch!" Totodile brought its razor-sharp claws down onto Chikorita, leaving a mark behind.

But Chikorita wouldn't give in so easily. "Poison Powder," I said. Instantly, Chikorita sprayed a fine purple mist onto Totodile, who was overcome by a coughing fit. I saw Stephen curse under his breath, and shoved his hands into his pockets. Totodile stumbled around the field almost blindly, and I sent out another command. "Tackle!" Chikorita rammed into Totodile head first, and Totodile flew backwards.

"Get it together, Totodile!" Stephen demanded. "Use Water Gun!"

A jet of water pulsed from the blue Pokémon's mouth, right onto Chikorita. Even though it wasn't very effective, I could tell Chikorita was growing tired. I needed to end this battle soon.

Thankfully, the poison still had a hold of Totodile's body, and he doubled over with pain. Seizing the chance, I said, "Chikorita, hurry and use Synthesis."

Chikorita's leaf began to glow as she strained to gather light from the sun. But unfortunately, the weather had become overcast and clouds covered the sky. It was going to take longer than I originally thought for her to heal.

Stephen also seemed to see this, so he ordered, "Now, Totodile, finish this off with Rage!"

I winced as Totodile's body began to grow a deep crimson shade, and for a second, no Pokémon moved on the field. Chikorita was still straining to get some sunlight, but to no avail. Suddenly, Totodile screeched and ran straight for Chikorita.

"Move, Chikorita!" I squealed. But Totodile outmatched my Chikorita with his speed. He collided with Chikorita, and she skidded across the field. I knew that it was the end, and Stephen had won.

With Chikorita motionless, Taylor announced, "Chikorita is unable to battle! This battle goes to Stephen and Totodile!"

I ran over to Chikorita and scooped her up in my arms. "It's okay, we'll win the next one," I murmured to her.

"Chika…" she said weakly.

Knowing what I had to do, I walked over to Stephen and quietly said, "Good job. That was a really good battle. No wonder you beat Erika and Gardenia."

Stephen smiled, and I couldn't help but notice how cute he looked. "You're a really great trainer, Daisy. Definitely the toughest one I've faced yet."

I reached for my bag around my waist and pulled out my wallet. Taking out two hundred Poké dollars, I offered them to Stephen. "Here. You deserve this."

But Stephen gently closed my hand. "It's okay, keep it. It was a great battle." He started to walk away. "But next time, you might not get so lucky," he teased.

I chuckled. "Where are you heading too?"

"I'm off to Aerosphere City to challenge Faulkner and Winona. Battling you made me realize that I know my team is ready to take them on."

Slightly irritated with his arrogant demeanor, I muttered, "Next time, _you_ might be the one who needs to have a little luck."

Chuckling to himself, he waved to both Taylor and me, and he disappeared over the hill within a matter of minutes. As I watched him walk over the horizon, I couldn't help but feel warm inside, and I hoped we would meet again.

Taylor and I made our way back to the road. By now, it was mid-afternoon and the sun was beating down. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I carried Chikorita in my arms.

"You know, he must have been feeling pretty gutsy to take you on," Taylor commented.

"I don't think it was guts," I mused. "Probably pity. And I was the one who stupidly suggested we battle."

"It wasn't stupid. You know you can't win them all."

"But I could have at least won my first!"

"I didn't win my first battle in Platinum! I saved the game right before I had to beat Barry, then when I lost I just turned the game off then right back on, and tried again!"

"But this is reality now, Taylor!" I hissed. "_There is no reset button!_ It's real life! And I can't believe how rude you were to Stephen."

Bristling, Taylor said, "Did you see the way he threw himself at you?"

"He didn't throw himself at me!" I pratically screeched. "Apparently by the way you acted today, I'm not aloud to talk to any guy I see! Except for you, though right now I don't want to talk to you!" After my outburst, we walked in silence on the road.

Minutes passed before Taylor finally said, "Sorry. I know you wanted to win. But I think losing the battle against Stephen taught you that you win some and you lose some. And there will be so many more battles to win, Daisy."

I sighed, and said, "I know. And thanks. But that still doesn't mean I forgive you about being rude to Stephen."

Taylor's eyes looked down to the road. "I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

"You caused me physical pain when you grabbed my wrists," I said gingerly. "Face it, Taylor, you're just jealous and afraid that I'm going to give my attention away to some other guy besides you."

"I said I was sorry, Daisy. I can't really do anymore than that!" He snapped. "God, I wish you weren't so difficult sometimes. You just keep adding gas to the flames, and you don't try to put it out." He crossed his arms and glared at me.

_He has a point... _"Sorry."

"Same here."

Smiling to myself and feeling better about what had taken place, we continued on our way to Syntha City.

And I couldn't help but think about how bad I wanted to battle Stephen again.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Peoples! I'm back after... eh, roughly a month or so. I've been so busy with camp and all, but you probably don't wanna hear how lazy I've been, either. So hopefully I'm back for another little while, but then I'll be busy when school starts again... whatever. I'll make time for you guys, even if it means failing Latin! ^_^ So Daisy and Taylor had a mini-fight in this chapter (I say mini since no punches were thrown)... that sort of depresses me. But I promise, the next chapter I will have no fights between them!**

**So, replies to my completly awesome reviewers: **

**sweetlilsunshine- **I know... I'm painfully aware of that... I thought about the team name for hours and hours, but I just couldn't come up with anything that would cover all 4 evil orginizations. And I don't want to go back and change it either since I do like the part with Daisy trying to figure out what the acronym stands for (a bit of a blond moment on her part?)

**rgooch- **Thank you! Although robbing Beth was sort of sick in a cool way... but thanks for your imput!

**With looooooooove,**

**GGDeimos**


	9. Chapter 9

I watched in horror as the red-haired ex-commander pinned Taylor on the ground, knife ready in hand. "I swear to God, the next time someone makes a move, his throat will be slit," she hissed in her nasally voice. She positioned the knife right beneath Taylor's chin, just barely touching the soft skin. Taylor whimpered, and I could only stand there terrified, too scared to move.

What was this madness? This was supposed to be the world of Pokémon; a world where you battled for fun against other trainers, found some of your best friends, and discovered new things for the better. But as I stood here, held hostage, I couldn't think about anything else- only the way her eyes were trained on me, like amber daggers.

How in the world did I get here?

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

"Whoa! That is so cool!"

After two days of camping in the middle of nowhere, the sight of Syntha City was like food for my eyes. It loomed ahead of us, and I was determined to get there quickly. With Chikorita on my left shoulder and Vulpix on my right, I picked up the pace with Taylor and little Mudkip trailing slightly behind me.

Soon enough, we were in the heart of the city. The sidewalks buzzed with people on their way to work dressed in classy business suits, and kids with their Pokémon bustled along right beside them. Taylor and I quickly moved to the edge of the sidewalk as to not get trampled, but still marveled at the city all the same.

"So what's the plan?" Taylor asked me as we made our way to a sidewalk bench.

"Let's check out the gym first, I think my team is ready to take on Erika and Gardenia." Truthfully, I was scared to death of the gym, but I didn't want Taylor to pick up on that. I didn't truly know if Chikorita and Vulpix were prepared enough, but it seemed like stalling my gym challenge wouldn't help.

"Sounds good," Taylor said as I whipped out my Pokégear. I typed in 'Syntha City Gym' in the search engine, and directions to the gym popped up quickly. To get to the gym, we would have to head north through the city, and go a few blocks west until we came to it.

"Simple enough; just like New York, right?" I said out loud to no one in particular.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Half an hour later, I was yelling, "This isn't like New York!" I don't know where I had made a wrong turn, but it must have been somewhere in the beginning. The city was beginning to look the same, and it felt like we had gone around in a circle.

Taylor muttered, "I should have handled the directions…" He cradled baby Mudkip in his arms.

"It's not me, or you, it's this damn Pokégear. No wonder I never used it when I played Heart Gold." I stomped my foot on the ground, all anger flushing out. I took a deep breath, and faced the fact that I needed to do what I hated most- asking for directions.

No, it's not just a guy thing, a lot of people hate asking for directions. Especially me. I don't like talking to strangers, and I hate admitting that I don't know how to get where I'm going. I'm just wired that way.

I rounded a corner, looking for someone that could help me find the gym, but no one was in sight. I sighed in frustration, since this seemed to be the only part of the city that wasn't teeming with people. Vulpix noticed something was up, too, since she leaped off my shoulder and onto the sidewalk. "Vul, vulpi!" She pointed her nose to my left and started down the sidewalk. I shrugged and followed her, thinking, _well,_ _what have we got to lose?_

As we neared the end of the block, the Syntha City gym came into full view. Vulpix, looking quite proud of herself, sat and stared expectantly at me.

I laughed. "Great job, Vulpix. Thank you." In response, she hopped back onto my shoulder and nuzzled her nose into my neck.

Relieved that we had found the gym (and that I didn't have to ask for directions), I bounded up to the gym's doors. The Syntha City gym was a tall building, with what looked like beautiful greenhouses all along the sides. The central doors appeared to slide open when there was motion in front of them, but even when I waved my hands all around in front of the glass, they wouldn't budge a bit.

"Hey, look at this," Taylor motioned to me. I made my way over to him to find him reading a sign that read, _"We are sorry to inform you that the Syntha City gym is closed for an indefinite period of time. Please come back when it reopens! –Erika and Gardenia."_

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to know when it reopens?" I cried in frustration. Chikorita sighed; she seemed as eager as I was to get to the gym.

"Think about this: at least we know where the gym is now." Taylor patted me on the back. "And the sign implies that it might reopen today, so we can check back on it later. After all, it is only-" he paused to glance at his watch, "Ten thirty-two."

Looking around at the gym, I sighed, "You're right." To Chikorita and Vulpix, I said, "We'll come back later, guys. The gym will probably be open after lunch or something."

On cue, Taylor's stomach rumbled, and he grinned. "You know, we missed breakfast. So how about we catch an early lunch?"

"Sounds good to me."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Taylor and I found a hamburger joint about three blocks down from the gym, and we ate hastily. Eager to get back and see if it was open, I paid the tab and we were out the door in no time flat.

I ran all the way back to the gym with Chikorita and Vulpix, and Taylor trailed behind me (from that moment on, I silently christened him Slowpoke). I just wanted to have my battle so bad, it was almost blinding.

_Please be open, please be open, be open-_

-and the gym was still closed. I hissed in frustration. "It's a gym! With actual challengers! Gym leaders can't just close anytime they want to. They have responsibilities!"

Taylor had caught up to me, and he shrugged his shoulders. "So, I guess we can check into the Pokémon Center or something-"

"No!" I snapped, turning around to face him. I wanted to know why the gym was closed.

I heard the swishing of glass, and turned back around. A man wearing a black trench coat walked outside the gym, talking on a cell phone. "Yeah boss, on it, I cleared the area, there's no one around-" he said, and then he seemed to spot Taylor and me. "Okay, just give me two more minutes." He snapped the phone shut, and then glared at us. "Kids, the gym's closed today, okay?"

"Yeah, you think we don't know that?" I retorted. He looked awfully familiar- and then I placed it. He looked exactly like the guy that robbed Beth! Taylor and I switched glances, both thinking the same thing. I decided to play it cool.

"Do you know when the gym's going to reopen?" I asked the man.

He smirked. "Don't know, kid. Just run along and go train your Pokémon or whatever it is you do."

Frowning, I thought to myself_, I'm not in second grade, okay?_ "Sure thing. Come on Taylor, let's go color in our new coloring books."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, then followed me as I walked away. Chikorita didn't look so convinced as she sat on my shoulder, but I gave her a look to be silent.

We wandered back around the block, out of sight from the man. My heart started beating faster, and I could tell Taylor sensed it. I motioned for them to follow me into a vacant alley between two buildings. Stray Raticate and Meowth scuttled around us, scurrying behind dumpsters as soon as they saw us. I cringed as I felt water droplets striking my head as they fell from a gutter above.

Taylor muttered, "This isn't good." He looked at me. "You know he's up to something."

"He's got to be, or else he wouldn't run us off like that." I put my hand on the grimy wall to steady myself. Vulpix whimpered as droplets of water hit her tail. I recalled her into her Pokéball, and tried to come up with a plan.

"I noticed a window on the side of the gym. What if we snuck around the guy and looked through the window and maybe everything will be okay?" Taylor proposed.

Snorting, I answered, "Everything's not okay." But it seemed like a sensible plan, so I said, "Alright, let's do it."

We headed through the other way out of the alley, and came around the backside of the gym. I figured the man was still out front since we didn't spot him, but since I wasn't positive I knew we had to make it quick.

When I saw the window, my heart sunk into my chest. It had to be at least ten feet high, too far for me to look into. I tried to scale the wall, but to no avail.

Then I had an idea. "Taylor, let me get on your shoulders."

He groaned, "Oh God… okay."

Three minutes later, I had successfully climbed onto Taylor's shoulders, and I was trying to peer into the window. I could hear Taylor moaning below me, and I snapped, "Quiet, or the guy'll hear us!"

Shakily, I said, "Ok, Taylor, keep me steady."

"Alright."

"More left."

When Taylor moved right, I lost my grip and shrieked, "No no no, my left, moron!"

Gasping, he muttered, "Sorry."

I looked down at him. "Taylor, what are you doing?"

"I'm doing what you're telling me to do!" He growled.

"Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes."

"Well then open them before you kill us!" I hissed, grasping onto the sill.

Finally steady, I peered into the window.

"What do you see?" Taylor asked from below.

"Nothing yet… the window's sort of tinted, so I can't really get a good look…" I strained my eyes, trying to adjust. "Do you think you can boost me a little bit more? I think I'll be able to tell then."

Taylor stood on the tops of his toes, and once again I tried to determine what was going on inside the building.

"Let me go!" I heard a muffled shriek coming from inside the gym. I instantly recognized Gardenia's alto voice. My heart instantly beat faster, and now I could finally see into the window. Erika and Gardenia were bound to chairs by rope, and what looked to be a figure dressed in black was tightening gags in their mouths. I gasped, not wanting to see anymore, and leaped off of Taylor's shoulders.

"We have to get in there! We don't have much time!" I grabbed Vulpix's Pokéball from inside my bag, and Chikorita murmured her agreement.

"Wait a sec," Taylor argued. "We need to call Officer Jenny, not just barge in there and possibly get killed!"

"There's not enough time for that!" I practically shrieked, and Chikorita cringed from the high-pitched sound. "We need to come up with a legit plan, now!"

"Okay, okay…" Taylor murmured, rubbing his temples. "Ummm…" His eyes lit up. "The guy's still out in front, right?"

"Yeah, probably, but what's the point?"

"We take the back entrance!"

I rolled my eyes. "That's too simple." As I said that, Chikorita came from the back and shook her head, confirming that there was no back door.

"Right, then. I'll distract the guy out front, then you'll sneak through while he's too busy with me. Get to the back, and then I'll come join you." Taylor said.

I nodded. "And then we wing it?"

"It's what you do best, Daisy."

Confirming the plan, I said, "Okay."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

A moment later, Taylor, Growlithe, Chikorita, Vulpix, and I rounded the front entrance. The man in the black trench coat was still waiting outside the gym's doors, arms folded with his steely gaze fixated straight ahead of him.

I gave Taylor the signal, and he and Growlithe swarmed ahead of my team and me. I watched as he approached the man, and began to talk to him. His voice was too low to make out what he was saying, but I could tell he was making the guy mad. Taylor gave a command to Growlithe, and the Puppy Pokémon leaped onto the man, pinning him down, just as he did the last guy who robbed the café. Taylor waved at me, telling me to advance to the next part of the plan.

I had Chikorita and Vulpix synchronize their attacks, Razor Leaf and Ember, respectively, to bust down the sliding doors. Once we were in, getting to the back would be easy. It looked to be a few simple hallways to get through.

But the hard part would be facing whoever was holding the Syntha City gym leaders captive.

Twisting and turning through the building, we came upon a door with a key pad that required a code to get in. Sighing with frustration, I thought to myself, _I can't crack a code, this is Taylor's thing!_ Knowing I couldn't wait for Taylor to catch up, I just handled the situation like I would any other.

"Vulpix, Ember attack!"

Smirking as the key pad singed and the door creaked open, we ran through the door and into the gym's central chamber.

_This is where the challengers battle…_ I thought.

But that wasn't why I came here, and I was reminded of that as I came face-to-face with Erika, Gardenia, and two figures that I knew so well from the Pokémon games.

The man, dressed in a black suit from top to bottom, stared me down. "Well, well, well," he snarled. "This must be the little brat that ruined our robbery from that café." He slowly made his way toward me.

Suddenly frightened, I managed to get out, "What are you doing here, Proton?" _And why is he wearing a different outfit than in Pokémon Heart Gold…?_ I backed away ever so slightly.

Proton laughed a cold, harsh laugh. "How do you know my name, little girl?" He paused. "Then again, everyone should know my name."

I flickered my gaze from the ex-Administrator to where Gardenia and Erika were struggling to break free of their restraints. The woman, who was also outfitted in a long black dress, proceeded to kick Erika's feet with a growl. _Mars, of Team Galactic._

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, directing the question to both of them.

Mars stepped forward, her dress swishing the ground. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to. It only makes people irritated. But if you insist, we're Team RAMG, formed out of the dust."

I snorted. "Team Ram-gee? What kind of team name is that? And formed out of the dust? Cut the dramatics, please." But even though I had a determined look on my face, I knew what RAMG stood for. And I scolded myself for not figuring it out sooner.

Mars scowled. "Say what you wish, but it won't change a thing. Rocket, Aqua, Magma, and Galactic have all come together and joined forces. We're stronger as one than just four separate teams."

"Yeah, and you all managed to be defeated by a ten year-old child every time," I snickered.

Proton bristled. "We've fixed our mistakes. We're not letting that happen again, not as a whole." He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled creepily. "Together, we'll take over the entire region of Kioku."

I smacked his hand away and laughed, still trying to be calm and trying to buy some time. "Right, right… this is so freaking cliché. I mean, really, I thought you guys would come up with something more creative than this!" Chikorita stared at me, wondering what I was doing.

Frowning, Mars asked, "How would you know that?" She put her hand on her hip.

"Like, when Proton showed up at the Slowpoke Well in Johto and claimed that he was the scariest guy in Team Rocket, then I proceeded to kick his ass… and when you were at the wind works in Floaroma Town in Sinnoh, and I kicked your ass too… such happy memories… this is slightly more dramatic, but cliché all the same." I smiled.

"What are you talking about? You never kicked my ass… you weren't even there!" Mars screeched. Satisfied that I was making her angry, I smirked.

Proton seemed to be amused. "You must have seen it on the news. I hope the camera captured my good side."

"The camera adds ten pounds, Proton," Mars and I said simultaneously. We stared at each other for a good minute.

I was brought back to reality by Gardenia mumbling beneath her gag. Mars reached over and silenced her by tightening it tighter. Angrily, I said, "You'll never get away with this."

"And who's the cliché one now?" Mars taunted. "We've heard that one a thousand times."

I locked eyes with Vulpix, who was ready to spring. Proton, reaching for his Pokéball on his belt, said, "We'll never be defeated this time. Even though we were disbanded time after time, we were alone. Now, we have all four powerful teams combined together to make Kioku crumble. And the first step of our plan is to take over Syntha City." He threw his Pokéball into the air. "Zubat, come out!"

Thinking fast, I yelled, "Chikorita, use Razor Leaf on Proton!" Chikorita responded with her attack, and the leaves hit Proton square in the eye. I smiled as I heard him screech in pain.

I saw Mars reach for the Pokéball on her belt, but before she could get her fingers on one I launched myself at her, knocking her onto the ground with a gasp of fury. We wrestled on the gym floor, throwing punches like it was a street fight. I got a clear shot to her eye, and I took it, but not before she hit my already-broken nose. I screamed in fury and in pain, and grabbed a handful of her red hair and tugged. Screeching like wild animals, we tumbled around and around, never pausing once.

I saw that Vulpix had jumped in to battle Proton's Zubat, but I was at loss to give any orders. I continued throwing punches at Mars, hoping that Taylor had heard our screams and was on his way to help. Proton continued stumbling around blindly, giving random orders to his Pokémon. Chikorita gnawed on the ropes bounding Gardenia to the chair, but to no avail. The ropes were too thick to chew through.

I heard feet clattering as Taylor entered the gym with the grunt gasping for breath behind him. I had Mars pinned on her stomach, but she flipped me over to where I was on the ground with her knee in my stomach. My head hit the ground with a thud, and I cursed in my head.

Proton screamed, "Stop the damn boy!"

But the grunt couldn't catch his breath. He doubled over and wheezed loudly, and he managed to mutter, "Can't… breathe…"

Meanwhile, Taylor reached Erika and untied her gag. Sighing with relief, Erika said, "Quick, grab the knife in my kimono belt!"

I made a mental note to punch Taylor later for looking so giddy to be undoing Erika's belt. He grabbed the knife, but Mars managed to get away from my grasp. I lunged for her, but I was too late. She snatched the knife from Taylor, and flipped him onto his back.

I watched in horror as the red-haired ex-commander pinned Taylor on the ground, knife ready in hand. "I swear to God, the next time someone makes a move, his throat will be slit," she hissed in her nasally voice. She positioned the knife right beneath Taylor's chin, just barely touching the soft skin. Taylor whimpered, and I could only stand there terrified, too scared to move.

What was this madness? This was supposed to be the world of Pokémon; a world where you battled for fun against other trainers, found some of your best friends, and discovered new things for the better. But as I stood here, held hostage, I couldn't think about anything else- only the way her eyes were trained on me, like amber daggers.

How in the world did I get here?

I shook the thought from my mind. Mars continued to stare at me, and Taylor continued to whimper. I knew I had to do something, but it had to be so discreet not even Mars would catch it.

But luckily, I didn't have to send out a signal. Mars didn't see as Chikorita sent out a single Razor Leaf straight toward the knife, knocking it right out of her grasp and onto Taylor's neck. I gasped, hoping the sharp point didn't touch Taylor. Quick as lightning, I snatched the knife off of his neck and pinned Mars down once again. "What happened to becoming an ordinary girl, Mars?" I snarled in her ear as Taylor cut loose Erika and Gardenia. "That's what you said in Platinum at Stark Mountain!"

Knowing she was beat, Mars flipped me on my back once again, and made a break for it. I yelled, "Stop them!"

Proton, who had regained his eyesight, commanded, "Zubat, Supersonic!"

Silver rings burst from Zubat's mouth, and I momentarily forgot where I was. I stumbled into Erika, knocking us both over onto they gym floor. When I was restored seconds later from the attack, Proton and Mars had already escaped through the gym doors. All four of us sprinted outside through the door I had busted up earlier, just to see the two united villains disappear into a helicopter. Dust flew everywhere, making me cough.

Frustrated, I yelled, "I hate your new freaking wardrobe, by the way! Black doesn't work for you!" I rubbed my temples, and my eyes adjusted to the bright light. "Damn." We watched as the helicopter flew out of sight.

Erika, whom I had not yet had the chance to really meet, said, "That's okay about them. I know they'll be back, maybe not here, but you'll have another shot to catch them again." She smiled. "Thanks for saving us."

Taylor, still happily and pervert-ily satisfied with getting to undo Erika's belt, replied, "Yeah, any time…"

_Wow. It's like having my own personal Brock with me. Only ten times more disgusting._

With a laugh, I said, "So, I'm here for my battle!"

Gardenia smiled. "Not today, I'm afraid. Your Pokémon look exhausted. They did a great job, though." I grinned as Chikorita leaped into her arms, remembering her from the café. But concerned, she added, "And Daisy, you might want to get Nurse Joy to check out some of those cuts on your face at the Pokémon Center, okay?"

I nodded gingerly, and fingered my once-again broken nose. Suddenly spotting the rope burns on the gym leaders' wrists, I said, "Are you sure you're okay? Those look pretty bad."

Erika shook her head. "It's nothing. It would have turned out much worse if you two and your Pokémon hadn't shown up."

Gardenia said, "Go rest. The gym will be open first thing tomorrow morning. We'll go make some calls to Officer Jenny."

Giving them our sincere thanks, our group turned away to go to the Pokémon Center. We were just about to be out of earshot when I heard Gardenia mutter, "You know, that grunt didn't leave on the helicopter with RAMG…"

Erika replied, "Oh God, just wait till I get my hands on him..."

Thoroughly exhausted, I was determined put all thoughts of today away until tomorrow morning, when I could really reflect on today's events. Noticing that I was falling behind, Taylor put his arm around me, and led the rest of the way to the Pokémon Center.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Hola, faithful readers!**

**Whew... that was an uber-long chapter! 4,123 words, not including the author note... geez. I hope you guys liked the newest installment of ADFTY, though. Like Daisy, I absolutely adore the evil teams in the games, though I'm not sure Daisy appreciates them anymore... I don't think I would either, if I had to fight with Mars. I can easily say that Mars is my most favorite commander ever, especially in the anime. It was awesome getting to write her a part, and I don't know how I came up with the idea of her fighting Daisy... I just thought it would be unique! But, as always, I make it a point to reply to every one of my reviewers, so without further ado: **

**amyismynamey- **Thank you! Stephen does sound cute... I like tall and dark XD

**sweetlilsunshine- **And I just happen to have a lot of blonde moments too! It does make life fun!

**rgooch- **Thanks for the encouragement. Stephen is sorta popular, isn't he? Thanks for reviewing!

**GimmeYourBook- **Whoa, thanks alot! Please do get an account. And no, I don't mind if you do a story from Taylor's POV, but please do include in your story to redirect some of your fans to me! And that is a rather cool shipping name... Tripshipping... I like it! Though I don't know if it's going to be the final pairing, there will certainly be more Tripshipping in this fic! And a phobia... hmmm... I haven't thought about that. Clever idea. Like Misty's Bug-type phobia! And like I said earlier, do make an account and stick around! Feel free to PM me if you do!

**Over and out,**

**GGDeimos**


	10. Chapter 10

"I wanna be, the very best, like no one ever was-"

_Ugh! Shut... up…_

"-to catch them is my real test; to train them is my cause-"

_Must. Go. Back. To. Sleep._

"I will travel across the land, searching far and wide-"

I rolled over in my bed and stared mutinously at my Pokégear, which was blasting the original Pokémon theme song. Rubbing my eyes, I untangled myself from the covers, almost crushing Chikorita, and attempted to press the OFF button, but instead turned up the volume.

"-each Pokémon to understand the power that's inside!"

Groaning, I flung the Pokégear across the Pokémon Center cabin and mumbled, "Taylor, get up, it's time to start our day." I glanced over to the sleeping mass in the twin bed opposite mine and saw it twitch.

"What's today?" Taylor asked sleepily from under the huge mound of sheets.

"My gym battle…" I muttered. Then, "My gym battle!" A sudden burst of energy surged through my body, and every nerve inside me felt awake and alive. Sprinting over to Taylor's bed, I pounced on top of him and yelled, "Wake up! It's today! It's today!" I sounded as excited as a kid on Christmas.

"Get off…" Taylor whined, and shoved me to the floor. Not in the least bit phased, I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, eager to get ready and leave.

While brushing my teeth in our compact bathroom, I remembered with a shudder what had taken place the day before. Gingerly, I reached my right hand up to touch my twice-bandaged nose. Nurse Joy had patched it up last night after we had gotten back from the gym, and she doctored up Chikorita and Vulpix's minor scratches. I was still a little anxious about the attack yesterday, especially since Proton was there and Mars had nearly murdered Taylor... It scared me to know that Team RAMG was on the loose, but Nurse Joy assured me that Officer Jenny and her squad was taking care of it. I felt a little bit better, but I was still slightly apprehensive about the whole issue. I just couldn't shake the feeling of Mars' amber eyes staring at me while she held the knife to Taylor's throat… but the evil teams in past haven't resorted to killing people, right?

_Not yet,_ I silently answered myself.

Now that Taylor was up and about getting dressed in the bathroom, I woke Chikorita up and called Vulpix out of her Pokéball. Sitting with my legs crossed on my bed, I said to my Pokémon, "Good morning, team. I presume you know what today is?"

Chikorita and Vulpix nodded their heads eagerly.

"Chika!"

"Vulpi, vulpi!"

"Now, I have no doubt in my mind that we are prepared enough to take on Erika and Gardenia," I said, even though it was a little white lie. "But, we haven't actually taken part in a double-battle before. That's sort of a problem."

I took a rubber band off my wrist and threw my hair into a side ponytail. "So, I think the key is to stay together, just like we practiced in training. Stay near each other, and watch each other's backs. You're partners, remember? Look out for each other."

My team's determined faces reflected in my own. "Good." I snapped my fingers together. "Let's do our best today. If try our hardest, but the outcome isn't what we want, I'll still be proud." With that exeedingly cliche-but-true line, I recalled Vulpix back into her Pokéball and scratched Chikorita on her head.

Taylor (finally) came out of the bathroom dressed, and we quickly packed what little luggage we had. Thanking Nurse Joy for the medical care she gave us, we waved goodbye and left for the gym.

A short ten minutes passed, since the walk from the Pokémon Center to the Syntha City gym was only about three blocks away. I was happy to see that the area around the gym was teeming with people, unlike the previous day with the attack from Team RAMG. Erika was already waiting outside the gym for us, and she waved us down. Chikorita and I jogged over to her, with Taylor once again lagging behind.

"Good morning," Erika said to me as I reached her. "Are you and Taylor recovering okay?"

I answered, "Well, there's nothing really to recover from. My nose was already broken; it didn't hurt being crushed again." Seeing Erika's crestfallen face at my response, I hurriedly said, "But, uh, thanks anyway for asking."

"That's good," Erika said, still not completely convinced. Nevertheless, her eyes sparkled as she added, "But there is something I want to show you before our battle." She motioned for us to follow her around the side of the gym.

Erika led us to a door on the side of one of the greenhouses that I had not noticed yesterday. "Gardenia and I usually don't allow challengers go through the greenhouses, but we figured that it was the least we could do for you after saving us yesterday." She offered us a timid smile.

Taylor's smile spread across his face. "Whoa, thanks Erika."

I added, "Yeah, that's really nice of you."

Erika just smiled and led the way through the greenhouse.

I'm not generally a fan of flowers, but I have to admit that I was in awe by the beauty of some of the plants Erika showed us. She made her way through with a Psyduck watering can, along the way naming different herbs and greenery. I could tell Chikorita felt especially at home, since she pranced around our feet, smelled all the bushes, and murmured, "Chikaaaa…" over and over again.

At the end of the tour, I fell into a line with Taylor and Erika in front of me and Chikorita beside me. I thanked Erika profusely, and reached down to scoop Chikorita into my arms. "We can do this, Chikorita."

She gave me a look as if to say, "I know," and I noticed that she was holding something in her mouth. Chikorita placed a daisy into the palm of my hand, and looked up at me for a response. Touched by the gesture, I said, "Wow, thanks Chikorita, that's really sweet of you." I smiled at her and closed the daisy into my hand. Even though I wasn't really named for the flower, I thought it was appropriately fitting nonetheless.

Walking into the gym, I spotted Gardenia sitting on the bleachers. When she saw me, she jumped up and squealed, "You're here! Yay!" Then, remembering her duties as a gym leader, she asked me, "Are you here to challenge the Syntha City gym?"

I saw Taylor sitting up in the bleachers and smiled as I replied, "Yes, I am."

Erika stepped forward, announcing, "We accept your challenge." She and Gardenia walked to the opposite side of the battlefield as me, and I suddenly identified the referee as he stood up from the stands and hopped on an elevated platform.

Now that I had a good chance to look around (unlike yesterday), I noticed the gym was measurably smaller than I had originally depicted it. Lined with bleachers all around (why do they do that? It's not like they ever fill up! They could use the space for other stuff), it was pretty plain like some of the gyms in the TV show, which wasn't what I was expecting since we're in the game.

I was snapped out of my examination of the gym and back to my battle. The referee began, "This will be a double battle between the challenger, Daisy of Peachgrove Town, and Erika and Gardenia, the Syntha City gym leaders. Each side will use three Pokémon-"

I interrupted, "Wait, I don't have three Pokémon."

The ref huffed, annoyed, then told me, "Then I'm sorry, you'll have to come back to the gym when you obtain another member to your team."

Then Gardenia called from across the field, "Oh, come on! She saved our lives yesterday. The least you could do for her is bend the rules a little bit. And you know you're already borderline on losing your job, Rich," Gardenia threatened.

The ref, Rich, looked uncomfortable as he replied, "It's Richard, not Rich, and it's the Kioku League's rules. I could lose my job over this if the League board finds out."

Erika called out, "You're already about to lose your job!" She folded her arms across her chest and tried to look menacing while I watched the scene take place, not in the least bit worried and pretty much amused.

Sighing, the ref finally gave in and muttered, "Fine. This will be a double-battle between-"

"Just skip it!" Erika and Gardenia shouted.

As I sent Chikorita out onto the field and called Vulpix out of her Pokéball, I saw Richard rub his temples and heard, "I hate my damn life…"

Gardenia unclipped a Pokéball from around her waist. She tossed it up into the air, and Erika did the same. Seconds later, a Turtwig and an Oddish appeared onto the field, raring and ready to battle. Their determined faces mirrored my own Pokémon's, and I opened the palm of my hand and to take a look at my daisy flower.

_Here it is,_ I thought. _My first gym battle is finally here._

Seizing the opportunity to take the first move, I called out, "Vulpix, use Will-O-Wisp on Oddish!" I watched as the purple flame we had practiced formed in Vulpix's mouth, and she shot it at Oddish. The Weed Pokémon nimbly dodged, and Erika commanded, "Oddish, Stun Spore on Vulpix."

With it being measurably faster than Vulpix, Oddish quickly sprayed an array of yellow sparkly dust onto my Pokémon. Coughing, the Fox Pokémon's speed instantly decreased, and it seemed like time was now in slow motion. Vulpix reached a limb out in front of her, and tried to regain what little speed she had.

While keeping my eye on Vulpix, Gardenia said, "Turtwig, Withdraw." Turtwig ducked into its shell, raising its defense. Not wanting to stall, I commanded Chikorita to use Tackle on Oddish. Since Turtwig wasn't currently a threat, I decided to focus on taking down Oddish first.

Chikorita picked up speed and propelled herself into Oddish, but Erika yelled, "Oddish, use Absorb!" As soon as their bodies made contact, little green balls appeared around Oddish and attached themselves onto Chikorita, sapping some of her strength, even though the move wasn't very effective.

Gardenia called out, "Turtwig, keep using Withdraw."

Wanting to get Turtwig before his defenses were too high, I said, "Vulpix, use Ember on Turtwig."

Even though Vulpix was quite slow, Turtwig was slower. Vulpix shot tiny flames out of her mouth, all making contact with Turtwig. He moaned with pain.

"Chikorita, Poison Powder on Oddish," I commanded. Chikorita sprayed a fine purple mist on the Weed Pokémon. Oddish fell to the ground, coughing, but managed to get back up when Erika said, "Hurry and use Hidden Power."

Two white rings glowed around Oddish, and suddenly red balls of fire burst forward towards Chikorita. Chikorita tried to dodge, but the Hidden Power was faster. It careened into her, knocking her backwards on the field with a squeal. I winced, and I realized that with Chikorita's reaction and the color of the Hidden Power, it was obviously a Fire-type move and it was super effective.

I was snapped from my reverie as Gardenia yelled, "Turtwig! Bite on Vulpix!"

The turtle charged, snapping his jaws at Vulpix, who was trying to shake her paralysis condition. At the very last minute, Vulpix managed to dodge out of the way, only taking a few steps.

"Now, Vulpix, Ember!" I yelled, in hopes that Vulpix would have recovered enough to use a move. But seeing as she froze in the middle of the field, I realized that was a bit too much to ask of her.

Gardenia kept seizing the opportunity to attack Vulpix. As Turtwig ran and launched another Bite attack, I saw the gym leaders' strategies. Take out Vulpix first, and Chikorita would soon follow in defeat. I gave order after order to Vulpix in hopes that she would be able to use at least one, but her condition stayed and I was buried in hopeless frustration.

Chikorita could barely get away from Oddish to defend her partner. She had taken real damage from the Hidden Power attack, but the fight was pretty even on both sides. After I had to give most of my attention to Vulpix, Chikorita pretty much took her side of the battle into her own hands-err, feet? Whatever. The good news was I could always rely on Chikorita to take care of herself and her battles.

Now Oddish had switched from battling Chikorita to attacking Vulpix. "Oddish, Hidden Power on Vulpix!" Erika demanded.

Frustration boiling over, I commanded, "Vulpix, do whatever you can to stay away from their attacks!" I felt so helpless I could hardly give any good orders.

As the attack hit, I was shocked to see that Vulpix didn't take any damage. Instead, the effect was… quite the opposite. The whole battle paused for a moment out of confusion to see Vulpix drawing strength from the Hidden Power.

Then, an idea formed inside my head. "Chikorita, Vulpix, stay close together! Don't separate, no matter what!" _Yes! We just may win this after all!_

"Use Razor Leaf on Turtwig, Chikorita!" Chikorita fired multiple leaves with one swipe of her central leaf, something we had been practicing for days. Vulpix stood right beside her, waiting for a command. _Not yet,_ I thought silently.

In response, Gardenia yelled, "Turtwig, fire your Razor Leaf attack right back!" Turtwig obeyed and sent leaves headed for Chikorita. We watched in tense silence as both teams sent their Razor Leaf in the air. Each Razor Leaf cancelled out the other's.

Erika commanded, "Oddish, use Hidden Power on Chikorita!" Once again, white rings swirled around Oddish's body as he tensed, ready to attack. Red balls appeared, and he launched them at Chikorita. I waited for the right moment to give my command.

Just as the balls were about to collide into Chikorita, I yelled, "Vulpix, hurry and jump in front of her!" I prayed to no one in particular that Vulpix would react quickly enough.

To my luck, Vulpix blocked the path of the attack and absorbed the Hidden Power. Since Vulpix was a Fire-type Pokémon and her Ability was Flash Fire, which was capable of absorbing any Fire-type attack, she would be powered up enough to successfully send an attack right back. "Vulpix, Ember on Oddish!"

Sure enough, Vulpix's flame was powerful enough to scorch Oddish to a nice crisp and knock it out. I cheered inside my head, and remembered to praise Vulpix later. Now, all we had to do was knock Turtwig out and we'd be done.

I saw Erika curse on the opposite side of the battle field, and I smirked. Not phased whatsoever, Gardenia commanded, "Turtwig, use Tackle on Chikorita!"

Turtwig looked reluctant to be tackling Chikorita since Vulpix was also near, but he obeyed Gardenia nevertheless. Seizing my chance, I yelled, "Vulpix, come around from the side and use Quick Attack!"

Since Quick Attack worked faster than Tackle, Vulpix successfully collided with Turtwig, and the tiny turtle was thrown sideways.

"Turtwig, get up!" Gardenia pleaded. But Turtwig was knocked out as soon as Vulpix had hit him.

"The Syntha City gym leaders' Pokémon are unable to continue. This battle goes to the challenger!" The referee declared from his pedestal. A single "Yeah!" could be heard from the stands as Taylor cheered for my victory.

"Yes!" I through a fist in the air, relishing our win. Chikorita and Vulpix ran to my side of the field, and I squatted down so I could congratulate them on their first gym win.

Gardenia and Erika made their way over to us, with Gardenia holding something in her hand. "Here," she offered, dropping a small trinket in my hand. "The Twig Badge. It shows that you've beaten us." Gardenia smiled, but Erika still looked a little ticked for losing.

I replied, "Thanks, it was a great battle." I watched as Turtwig and Oddish gingerly stood up, limped over, and also congratulated my team.

Rummaging through her bag, Erika asked, "This was your first gym battle, right?" She took hold of a badge case, and handed it to me. "For your future badges."

I fingered the badge case in my hands. It was a dark green, with a unique symbol on the front. I examined the Twig Badge with utmost care. Wanting to look at it later, I placed it into my badge case and snapped it shut.

Taylor walked down from the stands and ran over to me. "You did it! You were awesome out there!"

I laughed as I hugged him. "Thanks," I said, "but the real credit goes to Chikorita and Vulpix." I eyed my team, and we all smiled.

We broke away from each other, and Taylor asked, "So, are we ready to head on?"

"Yeah, but where are we headed, anyway?" I wasn't about to pull out my damn Pokégear for a repeat performance of last time.

Taylor was about to answer me when a boy I hadn't noticed before stood up from the stands and made his way over to us. He sported a red and white hat with a half circle, and a red vest with a black shirt. To complete his look, he carried a yellow backpack on his shoulders. "Aerosphere City. It's the closest gym to here. And good battle, by the way." He threw his hand up in a wave, and exited the gym.

My first thought was initially, _what the…?_

But after a closer look to the back of him, my heart stopped when I realized who it was.

Erika noticed too. "Wow, I haven't seen Red in years! I wonder what he's doing in Kioku? He looks good, too…"

_That was Red! Red was at my gym battle! Oh my God!_ I felt like one of those fangirls I always made fun of, and I couldn't breathe. _Red had watched my battle. My first gym battle!_

Taylor snapped me out of my thoughts. "Aerosphere City? Okay, then."

I turned to him. "That… was… RED!" I almost started hyperventilating.

Confused, Taylor asked, "Who's Red?"

"Red!" I almost screamed. "A legend! The hero of Generation One! He's mentioned in like half of the games! He was in Heart Gold and Soul Silver! He even has an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl!"

Taylor said, "Nope, never heard of him."

Gardenia stepped in and said, "I don't really know what you're referring to, Daisy, but you're right when you said he's a legend. He's defeated almost everyone that's challenged him, but he's turned down the position of champion down every time he's been offered."

Erika, still in a somewhat dreamy state, mumbled, "Wow, I must find him later…"

Getting impatient, Taylor waved his hands in front of my face, "Okay, I still don't know what's up with this Red guy, but I wanna get on the way to Aerosphere City."

"He's a legend," I insisted, but Taylor wouldn't understand since the only Pokémon game he's ever played was Platinum. "But yeah, let's go."

We said our goodbyes to the Syntha City gym leaders somewhat reluctantly, since I would definitely miss them, especially Gardenia. They made me promise to come back and visit them, but I still couldn't shake the thought of Red watching my gym battle, and couldn't figure out why he would even show up.

On the way out of the city with Taylor and Chikorita, I found a paper map of Kioku, something that would definitely come in handy later since I didn't ever wanna use my Pokégear for directions.

"Still want to go to Aerosphere City?" I asked Taylor.

He scuffed his feet along the path we were walking on and replied, "According to Red, that's where the closest gym is." Mudkip twitched in his arms, obviously dreaming in his sleep. "And now that I think about it, Stephen said that's where he was going." He paused. "Maybe we shouldn't go there, then."

I stuck out my tongue at Taylor like I did when we were little. "Jealous much?"

"No." He retorted. "I just don't want you to get so moony over him like last time!"

"That was not moony!"

"Then what's your definition of moony?"

"Moony is when you get all starry-eyed and you can't talk right or breathe..."

"That's what you did!"

"Taylor..."

Our bickering continued back and forth like this, even when our view from the city disappeared and the sun dipped below the horizon.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Sorry it's been over a week since I've last updated! I've been at the beach, but I'm going back to my home (Alabama) on Saturday, since I've been gone for a month! But speaking of the beach... the next chapter should be a bit interesting, since we get to see a side of Daisy we've never seen! DUN DUN DUN. And for those of you PMing me that you want a Taylor-centric chapter, just stick around, I'll promise I'll get to him in the next three or four chapters...**

**But I can't forget my awesome reviewers!**

**sweetlilsunshine- **Thank you! And your addiction...? That is awesome! Thank you again!

**GimmeYourBook- **Thanks! It's sad, but I really got stuck on Quint Reunion, but I've always been in love with the Ranger Spin Off games, they are by far my favorites! And writing about Mars and Proton was so much fun, I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I hope your dad lets you get an account soon! I hope you stick around for this story! And I mentioned Red. Was that what you meant by mentioning game charactes?

**rgooch- **Thanks so much! And Mars is a wonderful villain; no question about it!

**Until the next chapter,**

**-GGDeimos**


	11. Chapter 11

"Do you think my life would make a good movie?"

"Is your name Spiderman? No? Then probably not."

It was another "typical" day in the world of Kioku, with the same witty banter back and forth between me and Taylor as usual. I was still high off my Syntha City win, and I examined my Twig badge at least every hour. Taylor would get annoyed and say that I was prideful about winning, and I wouldn't even bother defending myself since it was true.

"But why?" Taylor asked. "My life is interesting. I mean, come on. I go from living in New York City to living in Peachgrove Town, Kioku. Two different worlds, two different dimensions. This is classic movie material."

"Classic, as in completely cliché? Big-city boy moves to red-neck small town… seen it, hated it, and I have no interest in watching another three-star film like that," I grumbled.

Taylor chuckled. "Right… but if we ever do get back to New York, I'm contacting Paramount Pictures and asking them to write a film on my life… starring _me_." A wide grinned spread across his face as he looked around triumphantly at the forest we were passing through.

"Three things. One, you're really dramatic for a guy. Two," I held up two fingers, "No one's going to believe you actually journeyed through the Pokémon world. And three, if a movie producer actually ever did believe your story, the lawsuit we're filing against Renjiro when we get back is the first priority." I was still pretty angry at Renjiro for drugging us, even though the place we ended was pretty… cool. But let's face it: If I were to get back to New York City and take a drug test, I'd fail miserably, and it wasn't even my fault.

Taylor glowered at me. "Am I not allowed to dream big? Reach for the sky? Enjoy life?"

I paused, and then said, "That sounded incredibly gay, even for you." The beginnings of a smirk formed on my lips.

We walked on through the forest, stopping every once in a while to drink from our bottles of water since the temperature felt like a hundred degrees. It hadn't been this hot since the day I journeyed to Hemsling Town about two weeks ago and now it seemed that I was sweating even more. Chikorita, who was walking beside me, looked miserable in the intense heat, and I wished I had kept her Pokéball if only for times like this.

"We've gotta stop and just camp here for the night. It's way too hot to go on," I told Taylor. Chikorita murmured her agreement.

Taylor and I spread out our camping supplies, even though it wasn't much. Between the both of us, we owned a stainless-steel small pot for soup, some spoons, two sleeping bags, Pokéfood, and our general necessities. At the beginning of our journey, I figured out that life on the road is hard, and you don't to carry too much with you since it really weighs you down.

Even though the time was around six o'clock, the heat was still unbearable. Taylor and I didn't carry around a tent with us, so the lack of shade and shelter was starting to get to me. I sprawled on top of my sleeping bag with Chikorita next to me, waiting on Taylor to start dinner. When I didn't smell any soup cooking or hear the clatter of silverware, I sat up to find Taylor also sitting on his sleeping bag.

Hungry and confused, I asked, "Why aren't you starting dinner?"

Taylor fell back onto his pillow. "I cooked last night. It's your turn."

"You know I don't cook. I consume what you put in front of me, and that's it," I told him.

He scowled at me. "We're in this together, so you get to cook every other night, okay?" Taylor roughly shoved the pot my way.

I grasped the pot in my hands. "You ever see Ash Ketchum cooking for Dawn and Brock and other group members? No. Generally, the breeder of the group would clean and cook and take care of the other travelers. Not the trainer, not the coordinator, it's the breeder." I narrowed my eyes. "And in this case, it's you."

Exasperated, Taylor said, "Fine. I'm not having this conversation. Give me the damn thing." I threw the pot right at his hands, hitting and bending his thumb. He yelped with pain and glared at me.

I lay back down on my sleeping arrangements facedown and shut my eyes. Yawning, I let my mind wander and thought about random things, such as the Syntha City gym, Stephen (yes, I admit it), and… my family.

I hadn't thought about my mom much since I had "arrived" in Kioku, but every time I was reminded of her, an ache made its way into my heart. I missed the way she would talk to me, hold me when I was upset, and just love me. I mean, I missed my dad too, but not in the same way as my mom. I didn't have a favorite parent, but my mom was always there for me when something bad would happen, and I wondered if she missed me just as much as I missed her.

And yeah, I guess I sort of missed my dad. Mom always said that I was more like him than her, but Dad was busy a lot, with Pokémon and whatever. He never really gave me details of his job, or life, really, but that's just how he is. Not completely a recluse, but he wasn't the type to branch out either. He did take me to a lot of Yankees games, though I do prefer video games over sports.

And Cookie, my Springer Spaniel. I had gotten her when I was about three, and she's always been a part of my life. I missed her sleeping at the foot of my bed, and nudging me awake on school mornings when it was time to get ready. When I was little, I always marveled at the feel of her silky fur, and now I could feel myself yearning for those days. I did miss Cookie a lot.

A burnt, charred smell aroused me from my reverie. I rolled over to find Taylor frantically stirring and blowing on the soup, which was obviously ruined.

"You moron!" I hissed. "You can't even make soup!" I leaped off my sleeping bag and yanked the oven mitt from his hand, grabbed the pot, and dumped the concoction into the grass with a sizzle. Chikorita jumped, frightened, and ran behind a pine tree.

Taylor growled, "I was trying to fix it before you came over here and destroyed it!"

Throwing my hands in the air, I said incredulously, "_I_ destroyed it? _I'm_ the one who put it out of its misery! You're a damn lousy breeder if you can't even cook _soup!_" I was seething. Taylor had just ruined what little food we had, and we probably wouldn't have any more till we made it to Aerosphere City.

"Yeah, well I didn't think the breeding job included cooking for you, cleaning up after your shit, and practically wiping your ass!" Taylor spat at me, jaw tightening. "I'm sick of the way you treat me. You freaking act like a bitch all day long, and you expect me to put food in front of you day in and day out."

I paused, shocked. I was the one who usually cursed the most, not Taylor. It was disheartening to see him string together three curses in three sentences. "Taylor… I—"

"Save it!" He yelled. "I don't wanna hear it!" Taylor snatched up a scared Mudkip, and grabbed Growlithe's Pokéball. He ran through the trees before I could even gather what had happened.

Taylor never blew up like that, and I was upset. Our argument had gotten way out of hand, and I sat on my sleeping bag as still as a tree. Chikorita came out from her hiding place about two yards away and gave me the angriest glare I had ever received from her. She turned away from me pointedly, and started stalking through the path where Taylor had left. I stood up, knowing what I had to do, and began to dejectedly pick up our supplies. Not caring that the pot still had soup residue, I stuffed it in our duffel along with our other belongings.

Chikorita was still several yards ahead of me, and even when I picked up my pace to a steady jog, she was faster and disappeared from my sight. The sun was going down, bringing the harsh temperature to a cooler degree. Taylor was the one who usually carried our stuff, so I was tiring faster than usual.

Crushing pine needle after pine needle, I jogged about half a mile, and then walked for another half. Sweat rolled in beads off my forehead, and it seemed that every time I would swipe perspiration off my face, more appeared. Frustrated, I walked a little faster.

Finally, after the sun was all the way beneath the horizon, the forest opened up. I walked in a spacious prairie for another mile, and forgot about my troubles momentarily as I watched Starly and Hoothoot play together in the field. I thought about catching one of them for a minute, and then remembered that I needed to find Taylor.

Tiring quickly, I almost knelt down on my knees in relief when I spotted a beach. I was certain that's where Taylor must have gotten off to, since he would relentlessly remind me that his favorite place in the whole world was the Coney Island Beach in New York.

Once again, I picked up my pace to a jog. I ran along a wooden boardwalk in the moonlight, sand spraying up around me as I stepped. It became increasingly harder to walk as I hit mounds of sand, but I kept it up any way, determined to find my friend.

I searched all across the shore. I must have trekked three miles on the beach alone before giving up. I plopped down in the sand, put my head in my hands, and wailed quietly to myself for being such an idiot.

_Why did I say that to him? I should have just let it go… I can't believe I let him run away like that! We could have worked it out… and now I can't even find Chikorita!_

The salty sea breeze did nothing to cheer me up. Usually, I loved going to the beach, but not under these circumstances. I sighed as I stared out to sea, sand dollars rushing with the ebb and flow of the tide. Even at night, Wingull squawked and squealed in the air, every once in a while swooping down to the sea to take a fish. I noticed houses behind me, lining the shore that ranged from all different colors. Even in the midst of my guilt, the presence of the beach somehow calmed me.

I closed my eyes and wiped tears from my cheeks. The guilt from yelling at Taylor was eating at me, which it never did. He had never reacted that way towards me before, and I was still in shock.

_But I deserved to be yelled at. He was right about me acting like a bitch all the time. _I fingered a pattern in the sand.

_I just wish I could take back what I said,_ I thought. _Taylor means the world to me. He's the only family I have right now. Sure, he can be really annoying and obnoxious at times… but he's still just like a brother. I need to quit acting so awful all the time and be like a real family member, because we only have each other._

Too tired to stand and continue my search for Taylor and Chikorita, I began building a sand castle where I sat. I yawned and proceeded to scoop wet sand for the bottom, and dry sand for the top. It was coming together nicely when suddenly I spotted something weird.

It was a shiny blue color, and it was sticking out of the sand. Perplexed, I brushed away the surrounding sand. Seeing that it was buried deep under the surface, I dug handfuls of beige sand until it was almost completely uncovered. I gasped with surprise when I discovered what it was.

The Dragon Pokémon lay still in my arms, barely breathing. Its serpentine once-white underbelly looked tarnished, as if it had been under the sand for days. It shivered and shuddered, and it weakly wrenched its eyes open. Panicking, I stood up, knowing that it needed medical treatment, and fast.

_What the hell is a Dratini doing here?_ I wondered as I ran down the shore, looking for someone to help me_. Dratini live near caverns, lakes, rivers, and caves, but not the ocean! I can't believe a found a Dratini!_

I tripped dozens of times as I sprinted down the beach, looking for somebody. Finally, I spotted a man wearing a button-down Hawaiian shirt, and I could tell he was obviously a tourist.

"Sir!" I gasped, out of breath, as I neared him. "Help me!"

He stood up from where he was sitting on the shoreline, writing in a notepad. Turning to me, he looked annoyed that I was disturbing him. "What do you—" he began, but broke off when he saw what I held in my arms. "A Dratini!" He yelped. "Where did you find it?"

I couldn't explain. There wasn't enough time. "Where's the nearest Pokémon Center?" I asked him, ignoring his question.

Not answering me, he pulled something out from his shirt pocket. "I will pay you… three hundred and forty-two dollars for that Dratini!" He exclaimed.

"The Dratini is not for sale!" I said forcefully. "I just need to know where the damn Pokémon Center is!" I stamped my foot on the sand.

The tourist sighed, and said, "There's no Pokémon Center around here. There's only a first aid facility down the—" He couldn't even finish his sentence before I sped off in the direction he pointed.

"Kids," I heard him mutter.

I never stopped running the half mile down the shore. Dratini's breathing had dangerously slowed down, almost to the point where I couldn't even see the rise and fall of its chest. Finally, I neared the shack, gasping for air.

Without bothering to knock, I burst through the door with a _bam!_ A man in a red t-shirt jumped, and asked, "C-c-can I help y-you?" He set down the pen he was writing with.

I held out the Dratini. "Please, this Dratini needs help and I don't know what to do."

The man sniffed with disdain. "Sorry, we don't give treatment to Pokémon." He pointedly turned his back on me.

Outraged, I asked, "Excuse me?" When the man didn't answer again, I screeched, "_EXCUSE ME?_"

Sighing, he faced me and said, "What part of 'we don't treat Pokémon' do you not understand?"

I set Dratini down on a chair and grabbed the man by the collar. "I don't understand any of it," I hissed in his face. I tightened my grip on his collar. "You will treat this Dratini, whether you like it or not. Do you understand that?"

The man rolled his eyes, but didn't object. I let go of his shirt, pushed him back, and put Dratini in his hands. He took the Dragon Pokémon to a back room, one that said, "Medical Personnel Only", and I was left to sit in the waiting room chair and wait. I hoped the man knew what was wrong with Dratini and that he knew how to treat it.

Sighing, I shut my eyes, feeling fatigue wash over me. I could barely hear the man when he came out of the back room and said, "Ma'am, your Dratini is going to have to stay overnight."

Without even asking why, I mumbled an incoherent, "Mmmmkaaay…", brushed my hair out of my eyes, and tried to fight off sleep.

_BAM!_ A roll of thunder shook the facility, and I jumped out of my seat. Now fully awake, I glanced outside the window to see rain drops start falling. Within a matter of minutes, the rain steadily fell from the sky, with a _ting ting_ sound on the tin roof.

I jumped again as the front door flew open, revealing a boy whom I instantly recognized as Taylor. Drenched with water, he was shivering from head to toe, and his shaggy blond hair fell into his eyes. I could tell he saw me, but he didn't say anything as he took a seat across from me. Chikorita was with him, but she stayed near Taylor and didn't even look at me.

Mudkip cried in his arms, awake and cold. Taylor rubbed his orange cheek fins, and almost instantly Mudkip fell back asleep with a sigh. I almost smiled.

We sat there awkwardly, and no one said anything. Taylor refused to meet my eyes, and I didn't want to even talk to him out of fear of him blowing up again. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry!" I blurted out. "I'm sorry for everything I said. You're a great breeder, you really are, and I'm sorry for anything I've said to you in the past that hurt you. And I swear to God, I know you didn't mean to burn our soup! And I swear I'll cook tomorrow night! And the next night! And all the nights that you don't wanna cook, because I'll make up for all the nights that you cooked for me!" I took a deep shaky breath, and burst out in tears.

Taylor stared at me for a moment. I couldn't even look at him. Finally, he moved over to the seat beside me and put his arm around me. "It's okay," he muttered.

"But it's not okay!" I cried. "I never feel like this, and I never cry! And I'm still sorry!" I didn't even feel comforted when Taylor stroked my back.

"Daisy, I forgive you," he whispered in my ear. "I just wish you wouldn't do it, that's all."

I opened my watery eyes and looked at him. "Still friends?" I asked.

Taylor laughed, "Come on, we never weren't! I can never be angry with you for more than an hour, anyway. Your impulsiveness… and bitchiness… is a part of you, and I like you. I don't know how we're still friends, but we are. So I love everything about you, even the parts that make me wanna shoot myself sometimes."

I smiled, and threw my arms around Taylor's neck. Chikorita bounced to us and made her way in between us, snuggling up in my lap. I instantly felt the guilt go away, and a warm feeling inside replaced it.

Then, I noticed a horrible, rancid smell. I sniffed Taylor, and then said, "You smell like a wet dog." I scrunched up my nose.

In return, Taylor muttered, "You don't smell too good yourself." We both laughed. I realized that Taylor really was my best friend, and that I needed to be more careful with choosing my words.

Quickly, I filled Taylor in on what had happened after he ran away. I finished with, "And now I'm waiting on someone to tell me what's wrong with Dratini."

Taylor nodded thoughtfully. Then, he seemed to study my face. "You want to keep it."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. I answered, "I haven't really thought about it. All I'm concerned about is getting Dratini well again."

But the more I thought about it, the more the idea grew on me. _Having a Dratini… My team could be invincible._ _Once it becomes a Dragonite…_ I couldn't even finish the thought.

_No!_ I scolded myself. _You can think about this after Dratini gets better._

_But my God… I've got to add it to my team._

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Last weekend before school starts for me... yucky. So, this may be the last chapter for another two weeks or so. Or, maybe I'll even update in a week. It's so unpredictable, and I'm sorry in advanced. I can easily say I love this story more than almost anything in the world (except for my family and friends), and I wanna update ASAP. But it's not always possible. But question... should Daisy add Dratini to her team? **

**And another thing... anyone going to see Vampires Suck August 18th? :)**

**And to my reviewers:**

**sweetlilsunshine- **Well, I hope they don't, because then you would stop reading! Hehe :D

**rgooch- **Yes, I loved the Hidden Power charge-up too! And I hope to continue updating!

**Bye for this week,**

**GGDeimos**


	12. Chapter 12

I mumbled angrily as I tried to get the sticky sand particles off of my hands and body. Confusion overtook me momentarily, and I sat up, my eyes still closed. I cautiously opened one eye at a time, and found that I was sitting up on the shorefront with Taylor lying beside me. His hand gripped the hood of my sweatshirt, yanking me back down. I swatted his hand away and stood up.

The dawn sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the beautiful orange colors washed over the beach. I yawned and stretched, and I brushed my unkempt hair from my eyes. I had forgotten that I came out to sleep out on the beach, sick of the cramped first aid facility. Taylor must have followed me out after he noticed I left.

Tito, the man in charge of Dratini's medical care, stuck his head out of the first aid building. He motioned me to come up.

As I reached Tito, he said, "Dratini made it through the night, and he's returned almost to full health, but he really needs to lay low for the next few days. No battling. We'll be right out in ten minutes."

I started to say that Dratini was not my Pokémon, but instead nodded, "Sure thing."

Tito smiled, patted my head as if I were a good little child, and ducked into the back of the facility. I was left standing alone in the waiting room.

Still half-asleep, I climbed into one of the chairs and closed my eyes again. Relief washed over me, knowing Dratini had survived. The chances had been slim, but I had already known he was a fighter by the way he held on during the way over here. I hadn't seen Dratini since he had been taken to the back room, so I was still a little anxious.

The front door swung open, and in came Taylor as chipper as ever. "Good morning, sunshine," he greeted me. "Lovely hair."

I growled and turned my head pointedly. Taylor knew full well not to mess with me until after nine o'clock. Teasing me in the mornings was like poking a sleeping grizzly bear with a stick: the ultimate no-no.

"Where's Chikorita?" Taylor asked me. I opened my mouth to answer, but then I realized that I couldn't remember where she had gone. I sort of lost track of everything after I fell apart last night, but I was confident she hadn't gone anywhere.

Sure enough, my starter Pokémon gave a great yawn and stumbled out from beneath a chair. We resembled each other with our ruffled hair and sleepy looks. She hopped into my lap and fell back asleep. I watched, amused.

I told Taylor that Dratini was feeling better, and that we could leave today.

"Are you going to keep him?" Taylor asked quickly.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I mean, I want to, but I don't really know if that's the best thing for Dratini right now."

Taylor didn't say anything, only raised his eyebrows. That was probably the smartest thing to do.

Minutes passed, and my friend and I sat in comfortable silence, waiting on Dratini. After half an hour of foot-tapping and eye rolling, Tito finally came out of the back room with the Dragon Pokémon in both of his hands. "Sorry for the wait," he said. "This little guy wouldn't stop wrestling out of his bandages." He gently set Dratini on the ground, where he happily wriggled on his belly over to me. He leaped up onto my chair and Chikorita shrieked, startled at Dratini's size.

I laughed. For a Dratini, he sure wasn't very small. Nearly six feet long, the sea serpent twisted his way around my neck, and for the first time I truly felt how light he was. I had no idea how I had carried him all the way to the first aid facility, but as I smoothed his ruffled scales down my heart swelled within my chest.

"Shall we go?" When Taylor gave his consent, we said our thanks and good-byes to Tito. Chikorita hopped onto my shoulder, but was promptly knocked off when Dratini wound his way around my neck like a boa constrictor. Chikorita huffed and trotted along beside us as we walked along the shore.

Taylor, who was now carrying a very sleepy Mudkip, suddenly asked, "How long are we staying here, anyway?"

Honestly, I didn't know. "However long we need to, I guess. It wouldn't hurt to take a break and rest here for a few days." It would definitely give me some time to train for the Aerosphere City gym."

"Dra! Dratini!" The Dragon Pokémon gave his opinion, and a silly grin formed on my face.

Taylor stretched. "Well, you know… I've always wanted to hang at a beach." He gave me a pleading look.

"I'm not in charge of you," I stated. "Just do whatever you want. But, I guess since we're staying here for a while, check into the nearest Pokémon center and I'll come find you later. I think I'm gonna go for a walk."

We found a small beach cabana located a few yards down the shore, and we rented some chairs to lay around in. As I was setting out the towels, Taylor found a parasailing booth and decided to take off with Growlithe. Chikorita, still upset at the attention I was giving Dratini, stalked off to join the parasailing group.

"I guess it's just you and me, Dratini. There's no sense in going on a walk now, not since we're alone." I stretched my legs out on the fold-out chair, and Dratini murmured something as he burrowed his way into the sand.

"Don't get stuck down there," I joked. "I don't want to have to rescue you again!"

He instantly popped back up with a mouthful of gritty sand, and I chuckled at how ridiculous he looked. I noticed that there were little pink dots scattered in the sand around us, and I scooped a handful to study them. They were smaller than beads with tiny white specks dotting the tops, and I tried to inspect them closer.

"Clamperl eggs. First stages of development, by the looks of them. I hear that if you line them up in a row, then bury them back in the sand, one strong Clamperl will emerge. But that's legend, and I generally don't believe in that stuff."

Startled, I turned around. I was faced with none other than the Blackthorn City gym leader, Clair. She peered over my shoulder with her blue hair dancing in the breeze.

Clair noticed Dratini lying off to the side. "That's a nice Dratini. Not as large or as beautiful as mine, of course, but all the same, he looks very healthy." Dratini beamed, not noticing her prideful tone of voice.

I let that comment pass. "Thank you very much, Clair."

Clair flipped her hair with a single blue glove. "Oh, so you do know who I am. Have we met?"

I almost said that I had narrowly kicked her scornful ass in Heart Gold, but I held it in, and instead replied, "I've seen your battles on TV. They're quite entertaining." I wriggled in my chair.

"Ah, yes… I get that a lot."

I suddenly remembered the time in Heart Gold when I battled Clair, and she wouldn't give me the badge that I had earned until I had seen her grandfather. Speaking of which… "How's your grandfather and cousin doing?"

Clair's eyes widened. "Lance? Well, you know, he's… himself. The same old charming womanizer, of course. And Grandfather, he's getting older. In the near future, he's probably going to have to appoint a new leader of the Dragon Den. Probably Lance," she spat.

I chuckled on the inside, knowing I had touched a more sensitive spot. "That's too bad. What brings you here to Kioku?" I asked.

Clair waved her hand dismissively. "Vacation. There's also been a decrease in challengers back at Blackthorn. Plus, I think I deserved a bit of R&R, I've beat the past nine trainers that have come to battle me at home." She yawned, then suddenly said, "Your Dratini must be a real powerhouse on your team. Pretty rare, you know."

Before I could answer, Dratini earnestly nodded his head. Amused, I only mumbled, "Yeah."

The Blackthorn City gym leader took a seat beside me. I wondered to myself why she would be talking to me, above all people, but I didn't question it.

"What's your name?" Clair suddenly asked.

"Um, Daisy," I replied.

"Daisy… has a nice ring to it. Wait, the same Daisy that beat Gardenia and Erika at the Syntha City gym?"

I nodded. "That would be me."

"Yes… I was talking to Gardenia and Erika the other day, actually. Usually, Erika's a bit sour after a loss, but she was pretty bright when she was talking about the fierce battle that you gave them. And how you rescued them from that terrible gang."

Blushing, I responded with, "They were quite a challenge." We both turned to gaze at the sea. Dratini had closed his eyes to take a short nap.

"Clair! _Clair!"_ A tall man with spiky blond hair ran down the shore line towards us. "Where have you been?" He demanded. "You left me with the tab again!"

Clair laughed. "Ah, Volkner, don't you know that a man always pays for a lady's meal?"

"Only on a proper date!"

"So you're saying that our breakfast wasn't a date?"

"…Fine…"

Clair smirked, triumphant. "That's what I thought." As if in a rush, she said, "Oh, Volkner, this is Daisy, the same one Gardenia and Erika were talking about. Daisy, this is my _boyfriend_-" she put emphasis on boyfriend- "Volkner."

I tried not to giggle. Volkner and Clair? _Together?_ It seemed almost too silly to be true! I managed to choke out, "It's nice to meet you."

Volkner smiled. "Same here. Gardenia and Erika made it seem like you were quite the challenger." He turned to Clair. "We're going to be late for the seminar!"

Apologetically, Clair said to me, "Volkner and I are giving a lecture on battling over at the university in Syntha City. It was really nice to meet you, Daisy, and good look on your journey." To Dratini, she added, "And you too. Maybe I'll get to see you again." She started her way back down the beach.

Before he walked away, Volkner said, "Stop by Flavous Town sometime during your journey, and Lt. Surge and I will give you a battle you won't forget!" He bounded down the shore to catch up with Clair, and they clasped hands.

I turned to Dratini, trying to process what had just happened. Dratini looked just as confused as I felt. The giggles came bursting out, and I was having a fit of laughter at the thought of Volkner and Clair as a couple.

Taylor and Chikorita joined me sometime later, and I couldn't explain my hysterical laughter.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Taylor had quickly fallen asleep after checking in to the Pokémon center; he looked and probably felt as crispy as cooked bacon. Taylor and my Chikorita had gotten a surprisingly low deal on an all-day parasailing excursion, and Chikorita as well had passed out upon going to the room.

Not very tired, I sat on the balcony of our room with Dratini. We had talked a good deal during the day, and I found that I enjoyed his company very much. We formed a nice companionship, and it was settled: Dratini would be coming along on our journey.

It was quite easy, actually. Dratini willingly let me catch him with a single Pokéball. Although I would have liked the challenge of battling a Dratini, I settled with a mutual friendship.

Now, as I sat in a white plastic chair with my legs criss-crossed, I thought about how lucky I was. Lucky to have such a great friend to travel with, such dedicated Pokémon, and almost everything was going my way.

But… I had to remind myself that this didn't happen naturally. Renjiro had caused this, I tried to tell myself… but somehow, I wasn't very unhappy anymore. Although I missed my mom and dad, I couldn't help but feel… blissful. Ignorant. And quite confused.

I peeked through the glass door to see the rise and fall of Taylor's chest, and I felt a calm feeling stir within me. I was very blessed to have him with me.

Spotting a radio sitting on the floor, I plugged it in to the wall and tried to find a station to relax. My fingers tuned the dial quickly.

"_Wassup, Kioku Middle Ground listeners? Tiny Tee here with the latest scoop in our beautiful region! I hope all ya'll have been having an awesome day, whether you spent it on the beach or touring the shops in town."_

Tired of tuning the dial, I willfully settled on this station.

"_As I promised ya'll last night, I went out on the beach today and snatched up a trainer right out of the water! That's right, we've got a special interview starting right now!"_

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes. Tee's pitiful nasally southern accent was causing me a serious headache.

Upbeat music cued, and Tee said, _"So, boy, what's your name?"_

A low, smooth voice filtered through the metal box, _"Stephen Hart."_

My eyes shot open, recognizing that particular voice. Stephen? He was here? _On the beach?_ I knew instantly that this was the same Stephen I had battled just a week earlier- it had to be. I wouldn't be able to forget him, no matter how hard I would try. He was too good, and I had promised him I would meet him again, and now he was here, on the same beach as me. Would I meet him again?

"_Stephen Hart… that's some kind of sexy name! Where are you from?"_

"_Seastraight City- I'm on my Pokémon journey."_ Even though I couldn't see him, I knew that Stephen was probably smirking.

"_Whoa, that's pretty far away! Like, forty miles or something. How long have you been on the road?"_

"_About two months. Even though I love traveling and all, I'm sort of homesick, actually. I miss my family."_ He laughed, but I could tell it was a bit forced.

"_Oh, come on! You're fifteen and homesick? That is so an oxymoron!"_

"_Do you even know what an oxymoron is?"_

Tee's voice hardened. _"Of course I do, I was the stand-in to the runner up to the Valedictorian of my graduating class. But that's beside the point! So, anyways, Stephen, how many badges do ya have?"_

"_Just two. I've beat the Syntha City gym and the Aerosphere City gym, and now I'm on my way to the-"_

"_You've been on the road for two months and you've only gotten two badges?"_

"…_yes,"_ Stephen muttered. _"I'm taking things slow."_

I criss-crossed my legs in the plastic lawn chair, smiling. Maybe I could catch up to him after all.

"_Don't be such a Slowpoke, Stephen!"_ Tee laughed at her own pathetic joke. _"Who makes up your team lineup?"_

"_I've got three Pokémon: Totodile, my starter. We've been together for months, and he's my main powerhouse. I've also got Misdreavus. I caught her passing through Apparist Town recently. She's pretty feisty. And I also have an Eevee, a baby that just hatched from an egg not three days ago."_

My eyebrows raised at the mention Stephen's team. Even for just having three Pokémon, it was pretty well-rounded and very diverse. Taylor mumbled something incoherent inside, and I turned the volume down a few notches.

Tee asked, _"What has been the hardest challenge you've come across so far?"_

Stephen was silent for a moment, and I guessed that he was trying to decide how to answer. _"The Aerosphere City gym was pretty tricky, but actually, I met a girl a few days ago that really tested my skills as a trainer."_

My heart did some tiny acrobatic flips inside my chest. He was talking about me!

"_She was very tactful and smart, and she battled against me very well. Even though I managed to pull through with a victory, it was close, and I might not have won if I didn't do some quick thinking at the end. Her name was-"_

"_Okay, Stephen! That's all the time we have for tonight. One last question: where are you headed to?"_

"_Er, I'm going back to Apparist Town to take on Fantina and Morty-"_

"_Listeners, thank you for tuning into KMG 101.2! We'll be back tomorrow night for another special!"_ The show faded out to some teenybopper love song, and I flipped the switch off.

I sat back in my chair, and my smile felt as if it stretched across the starry night sky. Stephen thought I was a challenge? Apparently, he had beaten the Aerosphere City gym like he planned, and now he was off to somewhere called Apparist Town. Although I was disappointed that I didn't see him anywhere on the beach today, I knew it was too soon to see Stephen again. I definitely needed to train some more before I could take him on.

I could feel my eyelids drooping, and before I could fall asleep where I was sitting I dashed inside, hopped under the covers, and felt the warm wave of sleep crash over me.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Hello, extremely wonderfully faithful readers!**

**Before you throw rotting fruit at me for staying away so long, hear me out: **

**I was busy.**

**There, I said it.**

**Now let the rotting fruit be thrown... **

**Yes... I'm very upset with myself. I hate procastination, especially for a two month long time period... hopefully, my good friend will keep me on the right track and out of procrastination's terrifying grasp. (You know who you are)**

**So, my response to my totally awesome reviewers:**

**amyismynamey- Well, I hope you're happy, then... Haha! Hopefully I'll get to develop Dratini some more in upcoming chapters.**

**Rgooch- I think so, too. Thanks for sticking by me through all of this!**

**Lockjay- Thanks for your review! **

**SteloBrilanta- Thanks for your helpful insight and comments!**

**LoveofWarriors1998- Thank you very much!**

**Thanks again, guys! See you next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

"I will say this only one more time… get your _filthy, repulsive, vile_ underwear off my bed. I will _absolutely not_ touch them for the life of me." I mean, come on. What was it doing in my space, anyway?

Taylor and I had spent four wonderful days in what was known as Kioku's Middle Ground, a lovely beach paradise between Syntha City and Aerosphere City. Now, our stay had come to an end, and the once warm feeling of friendship I had felt when I looked at Taylor had disappeared, and was replaced with one of pure loathing.

"Just one more second… oh, come on… YES! _YES_!" Taylor shouted.

I rolled my eyes. "What is going on? You sound like you're having sex." I walked over to where Taylor was planted firmly in front of the television and yanked the remote out of his hands. With a smirk of satisfaction, I clicked the "off" button. Taylor gave me a look of pure hatred. "Underwear. _Now._ Just what were you watching, anyway?"

"A Pokémon battle between Cynthia and Flint… it was breaking news! It's going on in Sinnoh right this very second, and it was down to their final two Pokémon!" Taylor exclaimed. "Although, Cynthia was kicking Flint's, ass so I guess it's not that big of a deal to miss," he said as he scooped up his clothes and flung them haphazardly into his bag.

I sat on the couch, amused. "I wonder if we could go to Sinnoh."

Confused, Taylor asked, "Why would we want to do that?"

"I was only wondering. I mean, I don't even know if it's possible to break out of Kioku. Just a thought." I brushed some dust off my jeans. "Let's go; our vacation's done, and it's time to get back to training."

"You've been training for the past three days," Taylor whined as we excited our room of the Pokémon center. "Can't you just give it a rest?"

"No, I can't give it a rest. If I wanna be the best, I have to train the hardest. If I want to have the strongest Pokémon in Kioku, my team has to work like champions. It's not simple, Taylor," I snapped.

"I didn't say it was simple," Taylor bristled. "All I'm telling you is that Chikorita is visibly exhausted!" He motioned to my dragging Pokémon as we pushed the elevator button to go down to the lobby.

"Chikorita and Vulpix are up to speed with their training; Dratini is not." I hadn't had a chance to start on Dratini's training since I found him injured five days ago. He was very eager to learn, but his present condition prevented him from starting to train with us.

"Look, I'm not telling you how to run your team, but do you even know what you're doing? The last time I checked, we were lowly freshmen living in New York City playing video games!" Taylor growled.

"And the last time _I_ checked, we were thrown into another reality where creatures with weird powers actually exist, and our lives revolve around training to be the very best! _LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS!_" I screeched, banging my fists on the wall. The woman waiting in line behind us for the elevator jumped a foot, and I gave her an apologetic glance. Lowering my voice and narrowing my eyes, I snarled, "Don't tell me how to live my life, Taylor Hudson."

He knew he had lost the fight. Throwing his hands up in the air in surrender, he backed away- a wise descision.

We walked out of the Pokémon center in silence with maps in our hands. "Left," I muttered curtly.

For some time, we refused to acknowledge each other directly. I busied myself with thoughts of battle strategies for the Aerosphere gym, and I consulted Chikorita about them.

Minutes passed, and then hours. I was becoming increasingly bored with walking, and I could tell Taylor was too. Suddenly, a faint noise could be heard coming from the expanse in front of us. It was becoming rather foggy, and then only sight I could positively make out was a flash of orange.

The noise turned into shrieking, then screeching. It became louder and louder, almost to the point where I wanted to cover up my ears. Was the orange flash I saw… hair?

WHAM! The next thing I knew, Taylor was lying flat on the ground moaning in pain, and a single sheet of paper covered his face. I turned around in shock, only to see a girl with bright orange hair dash away into the fog.

Staring at Taylor, I muttered, "If I ever see that girl again, remind me to thank her." Curious, I snatched up the flyer. It was an advertisement for a Pokémon camp.

_Are you relatively new to training Pokémon? _

If by training, you mean outside of a video game, then yes…

_Do you wish to better yourself?_

Sure…

_Why waste your time trying to prove your power to others?_

What the hell does that mean?

_Come participate in the best team bonding experience in Kioku- Flash Point Bluff's Three Day Training Camp! (No fee for the first trial) We hope to see you there!_

_Flash Point Bluff, Tuesday 4:00 P.M_.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I was keeping an eye on her, making sure she didn't cause any trouble, and- crap. I'm really sorry." A tall girl with shoulder-length curly brunette hair jogged toward us. "I don't even know how Tori managed to make it this far- she doesn't have a very high endurance level. She's usually tired from the first two minutes of running." She offered her hand out to me. "I'm Regan."

"Daisy." I shook her hand, and then motioned to the flyer. "Do you know anything about this?"

Taylor, still lying on the ground, made a muffled noise and clutched his head.

"Yes, actually. I'm the one who told Tori to hand them out to people on this road. I should've known she would completely spaz out the moment I took one eye off of her," Regan muttered. "I'm the director for all of Flash Point Bluff's training camps. Tori's my assistant." She forced a smile.

I had a hard time believing this since Regan only looked to be about seventeen, but she had an air about her that made her feel older. For some reason, I took an instant liking to her. "So, I'd really like to check out your camp."

Regan exclaimed, "Really? Well, stop by in about a half hour or so because Tori and I are going to proceed with opening ceremonies at four o'clock." She shook her head and mumbled, "If I can find her." Turning to look at Taylor, she extended a helping hand to him and he gladly took it. "See you guys later!" She jogged off after her assistant into the foggy distance.

Rubbing his head gingerly, he snapped, "Are you mad? That red head's a complete psycho! I'm fairly sure I have a minor concussion." He sat back down on the bare ground.

I laughed. "Actually, she had orange hair. And since your concussion's only minor and not major, I'm positive we can carry on with our plans. You and I are going to camp. End of discussion."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Enrollment in the main office was an easy enough affair, and I was eager to get started.

"Okay, campers! Let's quiet down now, please!" Regan's commanding voice overpowered all the others in the open field as she stood fixated on the steps of the main building. Taylor and I were close to the front, and I gave Regan an encouraging nod. She smiled back at me in response.

The doors of the main building swung open, and Tori skipped out with several pitchers of lemonade on a tray with her bright orange hair trailing behind her. Her green eyes twinkled behind her glasses, and she hopped down the steps.

Regan whispered, "Umm, Tori, I don't think that's such a good-"

Tori skipped a step, and lemonade spewed everywhere, mainly targeting Taylor. Tori plopped down the steps one at a time, making painful gasping noises all the way down. When she reached the bottom, she giggled loudly and said, "Sorry!" She picked up a stray lemon from off the steps and stuck it in her mouth.

Drenched, Taylor grumbled, "Lemon in the eye! It _stings_!" The rest of the campers looked on with confused, shocked expressions.

"Right…" Regan murmured as she helped her assistant up. "You're fine. Anyway," she called, trying to regain authority over the now distracted audience, "Dinner is at six thirty sharp in the mess hall. Tori, would you bring me the cabin arrangements?"

The assistant only gave Regan a confused look.

"The clipboard that you're holding in your hand," Regan offered. "It says 'Cabin Assignments' in big, bold letters." She only received another blank stare.

Exasperated, I stepped out from my position on the grassy field and took the paper from Tori. Reading aloud, I called, "Abby, Rachel, and Sophie are in Cabin One. Fox, Andrew, and Taylor, you guys go to Cabin Two." I rattled off more names in cabins until everyone had left the clearing to get situated. Only then did I realize I didn't see my name listed. Confused, I asked Regan about this.

"Oh! Well actually, I was hoping you'd room with Tori and me," she said. "We had an odd number of girls." She leaned over to nab the hood of Tori's sweatshirt before she could wander away. "I really appreciate the help you gave me back there."

I shrugged and said, "I'd love too. And it was no problem, really."

With a serious expression, Tori stated, "Just don't pull any lame pranks, like peeing in my shampoo bottle or something."

Amused, I smiled and replied that I wouldn't dream of it.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Dinner flew by, and before I knew it I was back in my cabin with my roommates, unpacking for whatever tomorrow would bring. Regan informed me at the dinner table of the numerous events she and Tori had scheduled.

"We've got a ton of stuff planned for tomorrow, starting with group bonding time at eight," Regan said.

"You're in our group, Daisy!" Tori exclaimed.

"And after that, we'll do some different trust exercises with our Pokémon."

"I've got a Psyduck!"

I muttered, "That's a perfect fit for you, Tori." Regan nodded in agreement.

"Then, there's recreation. You know, a bit of down time for everybody." Regan hungrily tore in to her hamburger.

I smiled. The camp seemed really laid back; just how I liked it.

Now, back in my room with the camp leaders, I asked Regan while her assistant was showering in the bathroom, "So, how'd you meet Tori?"

Regan laughed. "Doesn't really seem like we'd be friends, huh?" When I shook my head, she said, "We go way back- elementary school. On the first day of kindergarten, she stuck my crayons up her nose." She smiled wistfully. "And that was the start of a beautiful friendship." Regan fluffed her pillow. "Then again, I sort of had a boring childhood. Tori was a good form of entertainment with all of her cluelessness and weird sense of humor."

I nodded. "Sounds like Taylor and me."

"Speaking of which," Regan interjected excitedly, "Are you guys like, together?"

A baby barf formed in the back of my throat, but as always when someone asked me this question, I managed to swallow it. "No," I choked out. "We know way too much about each other."

"Where are you from?" Regan asked.

I started to say "New York City," but quickly caught myself. "Peachgrove Town," I replied. "Ever heard of it?"

Regan said, "Yeah, my aunt's from there. Pretty small."

"Who's your aunt?" I asked. Not that I would know.

"Her name's Tawni Willow. She's actually the prominent professor for Kioku."

Hopping on my bed, I told Regan enthusiastically, "Hey, she gave me my Chikorita. I owe her a lot." Chikorita, who was curled of on the corner of my bunk, lifted her head to smile at me, then fell back asleep.

Regan stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, she's good with stuff like that. I never see her much, though; my mom, who is her twin sister, doesn't really get along with her well. I've never visited Tawni or anything; I only hear about her on the news."

"I know how you feel. None of my extended family lives in Peachgrove Town… they live somewhere called New York."

Regan sat up. "Whoa, where's that? Is that another region? Are there new species of Pokémon there?"

I laughed. "Not exactly, but it's pretty far away from here. In Kioku, nobody has ever heard of it."

"Why?" Regan wondered.

"I don't know; people don't really venture there much."

"Ahh," Regan sighed. She didn't ask any more questions, but only twiddled her fingers.

Tori came barging out of the bathroom wrapped only in a single towel. "Shower's free," she chirped happily.

"What Pokémon do you have?" I asked the both of them.

Regan answered, "Only two since I don't really battle: Hitmontop and Kadabra."

"And I have Psyduck, Slowbro, and Skitty!" Tori bounced around the cabin, almost dropping her towel. I shielded my eyes, just in case she showed something I didn't want to see. "You'll meet them tomorrow!"

"Sounds great," I muttered.

Regan looked at her watch. "Time for lights out."

"Awwww..." Tori whined. "Please, Regan, can we stay up for just a few more minutes?"

"That's okay," I yawned. "I'm exhausted." I threw my hair into my usual night bun on the top of my head and hopped into the bathroom to change into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. _That's cool, Regan's got a Hitmontop- very good stats,_ I thought. _It must've been hard to raise it from a Tyrogue. Dad would've liked to train a real Hitmontop, since it's his favorite Pokémon._

I gazed in the mirror as I brushed my teeth, and remembered that it had been a while since I thought about my dad; we definitely shared similar looks. We had the same warm brown eyes, the same choppy dark hair, and the same half-smile that graced our faces every time we would laugh. All in all, I was pretty much just like my father.

But I think the most prominent characteristic that my dad and I shared was our feisty temper. We were both easily angered- a common trait that reared its ugly head in our day to day lives. I initially thought that our personalities would clash since they're similar, but I had always gotten on so well with my father.

A single tear trickled down my cheek as I thought about the last time we had spent quality time together. Dad had taken me to a Yankees game just as school had gotten out, since I begged him to have a normal afternoon.

"_Nothing involving Pokémon or any part of your job, Dad, please. Can we just have one normal day out for once?"_

_Dad laughed as we walked down Third Avenue. "We're far from normal- I'm pretty sure we're as weird as they come, Daisy Lou."_

_I wrinkled my nose. "Please don't call me that in public."_

And then my own dad caught a foul ball at the game. I was so proud, and I forgot how he called me that horrible nickname.

I stared in the bathroom mirror at my reflection, and it stared back at me, straight in the eye. Too depressed to look at myself anymore for memories of looking at my father, I wiped away tears and stepped out of the bathroom.

The lights were off already, and judging by Regan's gentle snoring she was out like a light. I crawled into the bunk above hers and settled into the covers.

A whisper came from somewhere across the room. "Daisy?" It was Tori.

"Hmm?" I sat back up. "You need something?"

"Yeah. I think Taylor's really, really, really cute, and I was wondering if maybe you two weren't dating if I could, you know, have your permission like him."

I suppressed a laugh. Leave it to Tori to speak her mind. "You don't need my permission to do anything. You can do whatever you want, Tori."

"Good, because one time I liked the same guy as Regan, and when she found out, she threatened to chop off my arms and legs and throw me into a hidden ditch where no one could find me."

"Regan said that?"

"Two days ago, actually. I'm just trying to find someone new to have a crush on."

This time, I couldn't hold back my laugh. "I'm fine; go for it."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Two updates in two days...? Is the world ending? It feels like it! **

**...And now I'm feeling the fatigue... but it's the good kind! To my ever lovely reviewers:**

**Something_dictionary_related- Yes! There will be some more reality based chapters! The chapter after this next one, actually. Is there anything specific you would like me to put in it?**

**Lady_Trainer- Thank you, but I'm not currently accepting OC's! Sorry!**

**rgooch- Yes, it was quite a filler... but hopefully, the action will be at a high peak in the next chapter!**

**Thank you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

While I slept, I dreamed.

I dreamt of a pale yellow room with something soft and fuzzy surrounding me- I soon realized it was a blanket. Warm and comfortable, I just wanted to fall asleep. (Is that possible? To fall asleep in a dream?)

But something was wrong- I couldn't feel my body. I felt as if I were being pushed down, and no matter how hard I tried to flail my limbs, I was unable to do so. Scared, I attempted to move my mouth, but no sound came out.

"_There's a quite a bit of dreaming going on- I can tell from her eyelids. Your daughter has obviously reached REM sleep."_ An undetectable male voice slowly formed a sight in front of me. Wearing a stethoscope around his neck, the man tapped the tops of my eyes.

"_I thought you weren't able to dream in comas; there's not enough cortex stimulation in the brain."_ My father came into view, and I felt an angelic emotion rising within me, but I was unable to act on it. I could only lie motionless, completely frozen.

"_Been doing your research, have you, Mr. Bourne?"_ The man who appeared to be a doctor chuckled, but it was empty.

My father was not amused, and neither was my mom, judging by the way her eyebrows furrowed together_. Mom!_ I longed to reach out and be a part of this reality, yet I was forced to sit in the background, watching.

"_I'm not exactly sure, Mr. and Mrs. Bourne, how Daisy is dreaming, but since you won't let the Bronx-Lebanon lab run any research tests, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you any answers."_ The doctor crossed his arms and raised a single eyebrow.

Coldly, my mother stated, _"We won't let our daughter become a guinea pig for your maniacal experiments." _

_Maniacal experiments? What is she talking about?_

As politely as he could, my dad said_, "Thank you, Dr. Franklin, for checking up on Daisy, but I don't think we'll need any more assistance from the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital."_ He stiffly opened the door, and the doctor exited without a word.

Slowly, my mother slid to the floor and curled up in a ball. Unable to see her, I wanted to sit up and comfort her. Instead, I waited for my dad to help her, but in response, he rubbed his temples. _"Get up, Shannon."_

"_No."_ She refused to look at him.

Dad let out a long sigh_. "Do we have to start this again?"_ I waited for him to sit down on the floor to comfort Mom, but he never did_. Go, Dad. Make her feel better, since I can't._

"_Yes."_ Shannon finally looked at her husband_. "We do."_

"_Could you please stop acting childish for just one moment? Our daughter needs us!"_

"_Our daughter's in a coma!"_ Shannon screeched. _"A coma,"_ she repeated softly, but more urgently. Tears began to well in her eyes.

"_Damn it,"_ Kent sputtered. _"Whatever, Shannon. I'm going to the studio. Somebody around here's gotta pay the damn medical bills."_ He stormed out the door without another word. Shocked, I managed to whisper_, "Daddy?"_

"Daisy… Lily… Rose… Petunia…"

Disturbed, I reluctantly popped one eye open, only to find Tori sitting on my bed, rocking back and forth. Her wild orange hair stuck out at all angles. Her big green eyes, shaped like orbs, met mine, and I bit back a retort of annoyance. Tori had not stopped moving around in her squeaky bed all night long, and I had barely managed to get a wink of sleep. I crossly muttered, "What time is it?" I tried to flip over, but Tori grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Yay! You're awake!" She exclaimed, and shined her Pokégear in my face. Bright pink numbers flashed on the screen: it was seven-thirty.

Regan stirred in her bed, and without a word, got up from her curled up position and walked like a zombie to the bathroom to get ready.

After some harassing from Tori and Chikorita (who was very eager to get going), the three of us were ready to start the camp activities. Breakfast was a quick ordeal, and I could only manage to stomach half of a blueberry muffin. I couldn't stop thinking about that creepy dream.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

"Yeah! Way to go, Daisy and Chikorita!" Regan cheered as my Pokémon and I crossed the finish line. The camp games had started with a bang, and my Pokémon and I had won almost every challenge thrown our way. Vulpix and I defeated Taylor and Growlithe during the tug-of-war, and Dratini beat a boy named Andrew's Meowth in a two-mile footrace. Tired, but still feeling fiercely competitive, I plopped down on the grass to relax from my third win.

Regan came over to congratulate me. "You look so natural out there," she said.

I shrugged. "I don't know how I managed it. I suck at sports."

"But you don't suck when it comes to Pokémon," Regan pointed out. She gave me a half grin.

"Hmm, maybe you're right," I replied. We watched as Taylor successfully threw a round disc to Growlithe.

Regan fidgeted, then said, "I've been meaning to tell you this, but I really want to battle you."

Happily, I turned to her. "Of course I'll battle you. Why didn't you just come out and ask me?"

She flipped some hair out of her eyes timidly. "I was sort of scared at first."

Laughing, I replied, "Trust me, there's nothing to be scared of when you're battling me. I've only got one gym badge, and I'm still learning the ropes." I stood up, and put out my hand. Regan grasped it and slowly got up.

Regan narrowed her eyes, and, with a sly grin, said, "Well, let's do it, then."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

"This will be a double battle between Daisy of Peachgrove Town, and Regan of Flash Point Bluff. Each side will use two Pokémon, and the battle ends when only one side's Pokémon are standing. Challengers, please select your Pokémon!" Taylor had gladly decided to referee our battle. By now, the entire camp had heard what was happening, and they had all gathered around to witness our spar.

My fingers clinched my Pokéball. "Dratini, come on out!" As a beam of red flashed onto the field, I nodded to Chikorita. "You too."

Regan called out from across the field, "Nice Pokémon." She threw two Pokéball into the air, and a Hitmontop and Kadabra appeared. Their eyes gave off a hard glint, and I knew that they would be tough to beat.

I suddenly wondered if Dratini was the right choice to send out in a battle against Regan; I had not trained with him yet, and by the way he was nervously flicking his tail, I questioned my choice. But I had full faith in Dratini; I knew that he would give it his all, no matter what.

Realizing that I had yet to memorize Dratini's attacks, I yanked my Pokédex out of my back pocket. Flipping it open, I aimed it at Dratini, and his stats appeared on the screen.

_Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon. Male. Level fifteen. Knows Twister, Dragon Rage, Leer, Attract._

_Pretty decent,_ I thought.

"Daisy, are you ready?" Regan yelled from across the field.

I nodded. "You can have first move," I replied.

Relishing the opportunity, Regan called, "Kadabra, use Light Screen!" A pink box of particles suddenly formed around Kadabra and Hitmontop, and disappeared as quickly as it had shown up. I knew that their special defenses had been raised, so I would have to aim my hits with complete accuracy if I wanted to break them swiftly.

"Chikorita, use Magical Leaf and don't let up! Dratini, use…" I trailed off. "Umm, use Twister on Kadabra."

Purple and pink shiny leaves flicked from Chikorita's head, and Dratini sent a giant tornado straight for Kadabra. Hitmontop cowered against the myriad of leaves heading straight for him, but Kadabra successfully dodged the Twister attack.

"Looks good," Regan said. "Hitmontop, Dig!"

As Hitmontop buried under the ground, I called out to my Pokémon, "Listen out for him! When you hear him coming up, get out of the way as fast as you can!" I had seen Ash Ketchum do this on TV plenty of times.

Chikorita and Dratini paused, bracing for the impact from Hitmontop. Kadabra stood off to the side, looking smug.

The earth rumbled, and Hitmontop appeared under Chikorita's footing. With a loud squeal, she was tossed into the air and onto her back. The spectators around us held their breath in anticipation, and even Taylor visibly winced.

Not wasting a second, I yelled, "Dratini, use Dragon Rage on Hitmontop!"

Quickly, Dratini opened his mouth and sprayed a beam of purple and orange gas. It hit Hitmontop directly in the face, and he spluttered.

"Kadabra, Disable that move!" Regan commanded.

The light around us flashed, and the Dragon Rage suddenly stopped. I huffed in frustration.

Chikorita struggled to stand up, still feeling the effects of Hitmontop's Dig attack. When she found her balance, I said, "Use Synthesis." I had timed it to where the sun was fully shining down on the battlefield. "Dratini, protect Chikorita from any hits!"

He nodded, and planted his feet firmly on the ground while Chikorita recharged behind him. With a jolt, I realized Dratini would now have to defend himself and Chikorita against two very seasoned Pokémon.

"Hitmontop, use Rapid Spin." The Handstand Pokémon began to rotate quickly on its head, going straight to Dratini.

I couldn't tell Dratini to dodge, so I shouted, "Counter it on my signal!"

Dratini tensed, waiting for me to give a command.

As Hitmontop neared my Pokémon, I yelled, "Now! Twister!"

Hitmontop moaned in pain as Dratini let out a full-powered Twister. Since it was such a close impact, Hitmontop was thrown into the swirling vortex. Behind him, Regan grinned.

"Kadabra, use Confusion to slow the Twister down." Kadabra's eyes glowed, and Dratini's attack dispersed into nothing but a mound of dust. I cursed under my breath. Hitmontop regained his balance back on his head.

By now, Chikorita was done recharging, and was fully healed. I commanded her to use Magical Leaf once more, since it was a no-miss attack. Leaves swiped at our opponents' faces, but it wasn't enough to make any real damage.

Sweat dripped from the back of my neck. These Pokémon were good. But as an idea formed in my mind, I realized I might have a shot at winning.

"Chikorita, keep up the Magical Leaf attacks." As long as Hitmontop and Kadabra were distracted with Chikorita, Dratini could come in and make his move.

Regan seemed to catch on to what I was doing, so she demanded, "Kadabra, Psybeam on Dratini." But the leaves were coming in too fast for Kadabra to break away and make her own attack. I smiled happily. _Here it comes!_

"Dratini, use Attract on Kadabra!" Campers watching the battle laughed as Dratini blew big a kiss to Regan's Pokémon. Hearts formed around the now-dazed Kadabra, and she could only marvel at my Dratini in awe. Smugly, I said, "Chikorita, use Tackle on Hitmontop."

That was all it took to knock the Handstand Pokémon out cold. The pressure from the Magical Leaf attacks and the Twister must have been too much for him to stand. Now, the battle would be over when Kadabra was defeated, and all she could do was stumble around in a circle, looking confused. Regan shook her head as she recalled Hitmontop, a sure sign of being beaten.

"Dratini, hurry and finish this with Dragon Rage." By now, Kadabra's earlier Disable attack had worn off. I almost felt remorseful at the look of shock on Kadabra's face as her "love" knocked her out with a final move.

Our referee didn't have to make a call as the audience cheered and clapped with delight. Regan withdrew her Kadabra, and we met each other halfway on the battlefield, shaking hands and smiling broadly.

Taylor and my Pokémon joined us at the center of the field. Regan was saying to Dratini, "I was very impressed by the way you battled so well." She patted him on the head. Jealous, Chikorita leaped into my arms, and I stroked her leaf while I laughed.

"I was surprised we won," I admitted. "I haven't even trained with Dratini at all yet."

Confused, Regan asked, "Then how does he know the move Attract? They can't learn that move by only leveling up. All Dratini have to be taught that by TM."

With a pang, I remembered reading something off the Internet about Dratini's level-up move pool, and Attract certainly wasn't in it. Taylor looked perplexed. "That's odd," I said. I looked down at Dratini, but he refused to meet my gaze.

"You don't think that Dratini had another trainer before you, did he?" Regan asked carefully.

Dratini looked upset, so I waved the question off and would think about it later. I stooped down to Dratini's level and whispered, "You did great today."

His frown melted into a wide grin, which in turn made my heart feel angelic inside.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

"It's time for the scavenger hunt," Regan announced as Tori passed around slips of paper and grocery bags to the campers. "Sort yourselves into groups of two, and have out only one Pokémon."

"Sorry guys," I recalled both Dratini and Vulpix into their Pokéball, despite their protests. I tuned to Chikorita and said, "It'll be you and me for this one."

Chikorita pranced in a circle happily.

I looked around for Taylor so we could buddy up, but he had already found a partner- Andrew and his Meowth. With a twinge of frustration, I went over to Regan to see if she wanted to work together.

"Sorry," she responded. "Tori and I are judges in this competition. But why don't you branch out a bit? There's a girl over there standing alone- Rachel is her name, I think. She needs someone to compete with."

That sounded like a good idea to me. Nodding my head, I made my way over to Rachel. "Hi," I greeted her. "I'm Tori." Chikorita muttered a friendly, "Chika, chika," to the large Charmeleon standing beside her, who in turn crossly puffed smoke out of his nostrils.

Rachel turned to eye me. "Hello," she said warily.

Almost shyly, I asked, "Do you want to partner up?"

"Whatever," she replied curtly. "Can you keep up with me?"

Arrogantly, I muttered, "I'm sure I can, seeing as I won almost every competition today." I snapped my fingers in annoyance. What was her problem?

I didn't have time to further process her attitude because Regan marched up onto the porch steps. "Now that everyone has found a partner, read the directions that Tori handed out. Whenever you're ready, you can begin. When you finish, bring your items to me in the main office." She delicately stepped inside and shut the door.

Eager to begin, I unfolded the sheet of paper with the directions. I read aloud to Rachel, "Your goal is to find twenty-six different items in the allotted time-an hour and a half- each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. Be sure to have a bag with you to collect your items in." I stuck it in my back pocket. "Sounds easy enough. Are you ready?" I asked Rachel.

She only stared at me pointedly. "Right," I said. "Let's go."

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

Chikorita and I ran through the Flash Point Bluff forest with Rachel and Charmeleon trailing behind us. We had already put seventeen items into our bag, and now we were working on the letter _R_. As we reached the edge of the woods, I spotted a rocky cliff straight ahead of us. I turned around to call out to Rachel, "I can see some rocks over by that bluff. We can pick one up for _R_."

"Whatever!" she yelled back to me. I sighed. We weren't really getting on that well, and neither were Chikorita and Charmeleon, who refused to stay within ten feet of each other.

I decided to ignore the budding irritation growing inside of me and tried to focus on the scavenger hunt. We were making pretty good time so far, but it would be better if Rachel and Charmeleon would actually keep up with us.

Nearing the bluff, I eyed a small rock that would fit in our bag. I slowed down so Rachel and Charmeleon could catch up. Wanting to be fast and efficient, I quickly snatched the rock and placed it in the grocery bag.

_Great. Eighteen down, eight to go. Now, for S, there could be some Seedot around here, but I think that's considered Pokémon mistreatment to stuff them in bag-_ "Whoa!"

The ground rumbled around me, and I looked down just in time to see a crack forming on the bluff. Panicking, I turned to Rachel, but she had already leaped out of the way, her eyes wild. Charmeleon was standing well out of the way of the fissure, looking nonchalant.

I had to get out of here. The ground was really shaking now, and before I could leap to the other side, I was thrown onto the rocky earth. My face scraped against the pebbles, and I whimpered in pain. Chikorita called out to me and tried to run toward me, but the soil crumbled where she was going to step. Just in time, she leaped backwards and out of harm's way.

"Get back, all of you!" I managed to scream. "It's going to crack all the way-" The ground completely dissolved beneath me, and I tumbled down the entire cliff.

I screeched and tried to pull my legs into a ball, but my right appendage was caught on a stray tree limb. With a sickening crack, I heard the bone in my leg snap, but I couldn't feel it yet.

Rocks and debris whizzed around me, and I suddenly hit solid ground. I could faintly hear Chikorita calling, "Chikorita? Chikorita! Chika!" _Help, help me!_

I couldn't answer, for the breath had been knocked out of me. Struggling to breathe, I tried to determine how far I had fallen. Suddenly, I gasped, and called out, "Get—Regan—help—" I attempted to stand up, but a sharp pain shot up my leg and I screamed in pain. Tears rolling down my face, I cried out, "Just get somebody! Rachel, Chikorita, _anybody!_"

Soil continued to fall around me, streaking my face and getting into my mouth, gagging me. I could feel myself losing consciousness. Although I struggled to stay awake, my eyes kept getting heavier and heavier until I finally gave in. My fingers twitched, and then all was still.

**DTDTDTDTDTDTDTD**

**Hello,**

**So, I'm back-after what, two or three weeks? Not horrible, I know, but that's not so hot, either. Final exams are beginning to roll around for me, so I might not be able to update as often as I would like to. But during the *actual* holidays (Dec. 17-Jan. 4 for me), be expecting some updates! **

**And we end with a bit of a cliffie, so I won't purposely make you wait too long to find out what happens next. But... next chapter is a reality-based chapter! **

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

**Something_dictionary_related- Tori is a very minor character (but entertaining, nonetheless), but you will see more of Regan in the next few chapters!**

**rgooch- Thank you for your support! I appreciate the feedback!**


	15. Chapter 15

_Come on. If you give me single twitch, I'll be satisfied. Move once, if only for the sake of your mother._

The pale yellow room was quieter still, and the only sound that could be heard was the faint whimpering of Cookie the cocker spaniel dog near the foot of one bed.

Shannon Bourne sighed and rubbed her temples. _This is useless. Damn it!_

Cookie jumped as Shannon let out a frustrated huff and stared intently at Daisy. In response, the unconscious brunette lay unmoving in her hospital bed.

Several weeks had passed since "The Incident" first shook their lives, as Shannon's husband Kent had deemed it. Time had been irrelevant for the past few weeks, and Shannon made a mental note to find out what the exact day of The Incident took place, for record keeping purposes only. She needed to know to keep track of every passing day, every hour, every second that Daisy and Taylor were missing out on their lives.

It was depressing, the fact that Daisy and Taylor were indeed absent from their teenage experiences. _This is so unfair,_ Shannon thought mutinously. _The summer after my own freshman year was full of fun, new things to try, when I met Kent… Daisy and Taylor deserve to live it, too._

But Shannon knew that you can't always get what you want. _But this- this is crossing the line._

After The Incident, every day was a different battle for Shannon. On the outside, Shannon Bourne was a brave wife and mother, a stronghold in a desperate situation. She provided comfort for her husband whenever it was necessary, and love whenever he was open enough to allow it. But internally, Shannon was unstable, depressed, bitter, and most of all, broken.

Her life was now a continual struggle of battling thoughts and emotions. Her personality had become divided, and Shannon warred with herself constantly. She was afraid she was becoming a mad woman, driven to the brink of insanity.

Four days into bringing home Daisy and Taylor- for an unknown reason, they visibly twitched and panicked in their slumber when they were separated- Shannon had cut herself off from the outside world. The television was unplugged, the Internet was disconnected, and the radio, which had usually played continually in the apartment, was tossed out with the trash. _If Daisy and Taylor can't enjoy what the world has to offer, _Shannon thought, _then I don't deserve to either._

It was crazy, and she knew it. Since The Incident, her logic and reasoning had become completely impaired, to the point of Kent pressing the idea of a session with a therapist.

"I don't need a damn shrink to tell me that I'm insane, and that my daughter won't ever live again!" Shannon had screamed. She picked up the nearest heavy object and threw it at her husband.

Kent quickly dodged the hairdryer and muttered, "As always, to hell with my ideas. You need help, whether you like it or not." He yanked his tie off and sputtered, "I'm going to the bar." The door slammed behind him with such a noise that made Shannon jump.

Their marriage was falling apart at the seams. Shannon didn't know where they went wrong, but it had happened- they weren't strong enough to face an afflicting tragedy.

A knock at the door snapped Shannon from her miserable reveries. "Hospice," a steely voice growled from the outside.

Confused, Shannon slowly rose from her sitting position by Daisy's bed and padded toward the foyer. She peered out of the peep hole and asked, "Who?"

"Hospice of New York. We got a call that two minors were in drug-induced comas and that we were needed here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays."

Shannon furrowed her eyebrows together and stepped away from the door. "Just give me a second." She walked to the kitchen, her mind racing a million miles an hour.

A yellow sticky note on the refrigerator caught her eye, and Shannon snatched it off in disbelief.

_Called hospice. They'll get here around eleven. Go out, have some fun. You need it. –Kent_

Blood boiling, Shannon crumpled up the note in her fingers and threw it at the garbage can. _How dare he suggest having fun while my daughter is lying comatose in her own bedroom? What the hell is he thinking?_

Shannon stomped back to the front door. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll need your services. Good day."

The voice stuttered, "Ma'am, we've already received payment for-" But Shannon had already stopped listening and slumped down on the ground.

_He ordered hospice care for Daisy and Taylor? Without consulting me first?_ Shannon pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket to call her husband at the studio.

Kent answered on the third ring. "Is hospice there yet?"

"Kent, what the hell?" Shannon seethed. "Why did you pay the hospice service to come take care of my child?"

"You didn't get my note?"

"Of course I got it, and I'm wondering why you wrote it! We don't need hospice; I'm staying at home with Daisy and Taylor from now on."

Kent sighed heavily over the line. "Shannon, you need to come back to work, if only three times a week."

"The note said I needed to have some fun. That's not fun."

"Now you're being unreasonable."

"Fine! Have some complete strangers take care of the kids. What if they wake up and I'm gone? What if they wake up to some strange people in their bedroom? What happens then?" Shannon panicked, eyes wild.

There was a pause, then, "You need some help." _Click._

Shannon dropped the phone onto the rug and hissed, "Love you too!" She felt tears threatening to spill out of her eyes, but she was determined to hold them back. Feeling fatigued, frustrated, and tired, she thought_, I just need a bath._

Shedding her clothes, Shannon delicately stepped into the large jet-tub in the master bedroom. A framed picture of Shannon and Kent on their honeymoon to the Caribbean stared pointedly at her, and Shannon roughly slapped it face down. She didn't want to look at it.

She turned the silver left knob, and a stream of water came bursting out. Testing the temperature, Shannon ran her hand under the clear liquid, and found the water to be just under scalding. _Perfect._

Sitting down in the tub, she let the water wash away her mixed emotions, but she finally gave way to the tears. A loud, thin wail emitted from Shannon, piercing the quiet atmosphere, then all was silent.

_That's all I needed. Just one cry, and I'm okay._

The door creaked, and Cookie nosed her way in. Her big brown eyes gave Shannon a worried look, and she put her small paws on the edge of the big bathtub.

With half of a smile, Shannon patted Cookie's speckled tan fur and muttered, "I'm okay."

Cookie shook her fur to rid the water droplets and galloped out of the bathroom, collar jingling.

Shannon sighed. She didn't mean to intentionally worry her daughter's dog, but with Cookie's motherly instinct she jumped at every noise, every cry. Shannon had developed a fondness for Cookie, especially since she was the only thing left that tied Shannon to Daisy.

_This is relaxing… since The Incident, I haven't had much time for myself._ Shannon ducked her head under the warm water.

She came back up seconds later, gasping for air, and ran a hand down her legs. _This is disgusting- I haven't shaved in forever. God, that's a ton of hair._

"Yuck!" Shannon gagged, grabbing her razor from the cup sitting on the tub's edge. "When was the last time I shaved?" She rubbed some shaving cream on her unkempt legs and prepared to run the razor up her calves.

Cookie scratched on the door. Startled, Shannon fumbled her razor and cut a long gash down the side of her leg. She gasped as the blood began to flow quickly from the wound, staining the water a deep crimson.

From out of nowhere, a voice in Shannon's head whispered, _Just sit there. Sit there. No one will miss you. Your husband won't care, and your daughter won't know. Sit there._

Shannon's heart rate spiked, and she began to hyperventilate. Blood was pulsing more rapidly from the gash, and the water around her began to smell sickening, like rotting sewage. _Sit there._

_Sit there._

Her mind was spinning. All she could do was watch as the blood kept pouring out in the tub, never ceasing. Shannon began to feel faint.

_Do it._

_No, don't do it!_

_Sit there._

_Get up! Help yourself!_

_No one will miss you._

_Kent will! Kent cares!_

She shrieked. With a heave, Shannon launched herself out of the bathtub and crashed to the floor, soaking wet with blood. She grasped for the nearest towel and pressed it against her leg, shaking and shivering.

_I was actually going to do it. I was going to sit there and let myself die._ Once again, Shannon began wail, but this time, she couldn't stop. Cookie whimpered, but Shannon screamed, "Shut up and go away!"

The white towel was quickly absorbing blood, coloring it a darker shade of red. Shannon snatched a blue towel from beneath the cabinet and slapped it haphazardly on top.

All she could do was sit there.

After an hour, Shannon made sure the blood had stopped flowing. She debated calling the hospital to get herself checked out, but she didn't want Kent finding out what had happened. He would ask questions, and Shannon would have to tell him the truth.

She threw on a sweat shirt and limped into the kitchen. She rummaged through the medicinal cabinet for anything that would cover her cut. Knocking some Pokémon Band-Aids to the floor, she finally discovered some gauze left over from Daisy's sprained ankle two summers before. Shannon wrapped it around her lower calf and tied it off. She told herself to wear long pants to bed so Kent wouldn't see.

The couch looked inviting, and Shannon flung herself down. She didn't have any more tears left to cry, and her eyes stung. She stared up at the ceiling, ashamed of herself.

_I won't ever let this happen again. Daisy needs me, and Kent does too. Everything I've been doing is wrong. I don't have to be unplugged from the world- I can watch from a distance._

With that, she stumbled into the spare room that she and Kent used for storage and pulled out the television that had been sitting there for weeks. Grunting, she picked it up and lugged it back to the living room.

Once it was plugged back in and sitting on the armoire, Shannon propped herself comfortably with her feet on the coffee table. Remote in hand, she clicked through channels until she came across NBC New York_. I wonder what's been going on in the world lately._

"…In other news, fans around the tri-state area are lining up in advance at Madison Square Garden to camp out for tomorrow's Paramore concert. Tickets are completely sold out, but that's not stopping hundreds from gathering around the center and attempting to buy tickets off of minors. Paramore is a rock band hailing from Franklin, Tennessee…"

Wistfully, Shannon thought about how much Daisy loved Paramore, and her heart wrenched. Shannon and Kent were planning on buying the tickets for the concert weeks ago, but after The Incident, all plans were abandoned. It was going to be Daisy's sixteenth birthday surprise.

Shannon froze. Her eyes widened. _Oh my God… what day is it?_

She scrambled around for a calendar, scaring Cookie in the process. Shannon flung papers aside, then spotted her cell phone lying beside the front door. She entered her password hurriedly, and scrolled to see today's date.

_Wednesday, August 31_

On the next date box over marked _Thursday, September 1,_ a red notice was printed inside. _Paramore Concert- Daisy's sixteenth!_

Shannon crumpled to the floor and began to weep.

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

**Well, I officially suck (but you probably already know that). I told you guys to be expecting a few updates, but I can only manage 1. Sorry... I don't even have a valid excuse this time. It's sad. Thanks to everyone who reviewed anyway, though!**

**sweetlilsunshine- It was a spur of the moment thing... was that meant as sarcastic?**

**Splashstorm- Yeah, I sympathize with her right now! And thank you for catching that!**

**Rgooch- Once again, thanks! It was tough capturing the right emotions, but I hope I did a sufficient job!**

**Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chikorita**

Daisy and I shrieked simultaneously as the rocks fell. Rubble and debris crashed down the sides of the cliff, and I shut my eyes and leaped. This was quite stupid; for all I know, I could have launched myself over the wrong side, but Lady Luck apparently kept tabs on my whereabouts and snatched me up with her guiding hand.

"Daisy! Daisy!" I screeched.

I watched in horror as my trainer tumbled headfirst down the cliff, and a sickening snap followed. I hoped that it was only a tree branch, but my instincts told me that it was something more serious.

Rachel snatched me back as I tried to peer over the side. "Don't!" she yelled. "You'll go over, too!" She grabbed my stubby tail and hauled me backwards.

The earth continued to rumble and shake, but I couldn't run to safety. I surely wasn't going to abandon my trainer, but Rachel seemed to think otherwise.

"Go!" she hissed. "We have to go back to camp and get Regan!" Without waiting for me, she turned and fled back to the forest, Charmeleon close behind her.

I glanced one last time at the cliff's craggy edge and frowned. I knew Daisy couldn't be okay- the summit seemed to extend over thirty feet, and no human could possibly embrace the fall- not without sustaining serious injuries.

My trainer needed my help; I was aware of that much. Swiftly, I turned tail towards the forest and raced as fast as my short legs could carry me. Rachel was already well ahead of me with her Pokémon, and I tried as hard as I could to keep up with her.

Thick, spiky pine trees whizzed by me in a blur, but I could only concentrate on rescuing Daisy. _Taylor will be so worried. He won't know what to do- he'll panic. Regan's in charge here. Surely this has happened before, and Regan will know how to solve the problem, right?_ But I couldn't reassure myself, and unpleasant thoughts buzzed on my brain.

My breaths started coming in shorter gasps, and my chest heaved. Chikorita aren't known for their speed. Our stamina is okay, maybe, but as I slowed to catch my breath, I scolded myself for not being in better shape.

_Don't be silly!_ I could almost imagine Daisy's voice chiding me constantly like a baby, her thin eyebrows furrowed together. _We train every day. You think you're not fit, but come on. Have you seen your Razor Leaf? You might not be the fastest Pokémon, but you have to be the best in every other area!_

My eyes slowly filled up with tears._ I have to help her._

By now, Rachel was too far ahead of me- there was no chance in Kioku I would be able to catch up with her, let alone match her pace. _Rachel will make it back and let Regan know about the fissure._ I wondered at my sudden change of attitude. _Rachel will make it…_

With a groan, I let my legs buckle beneath me and panted some more. The breaths started coming easier now, but I felt a little lightheaded from the run. I often hear Daisy talking about something called a runner's high, where she says that you run and you don't feel any pain, and your legs just carry you on their own. I've never had one of those, but since I'm a Chikorita, they probably don't come easily.

I shut my eyes and tried to get the dizziness to go away, but to no avail. Nauseated, I thought, _I've gotta get a move on back to camp._

The bushes rustled behind me, and I pricked up my ears. I hadn't seen anyone in the forest when we had entered. I turned around and attempted a menacing growl, since I was too exhausted to defend myself properly. It would be just my luck to have something larger- and faster- than me, and I wouldn't be able to put up a fight.

Out of the overgrown boxwood shrub, frazzled red hair stuck every which way. I squinted my eyes, trying to peer inside, but I couldn't identify a solid shape. A black sleeve appeared, then a shiny silver boot. Overwhelmed by curiosity, I lowered my defenses and stepped closer.

_Mars? Of Team RAMG?_ I watched in disbelief as the red-headed woman forced her way out of the bush, grumbling. _No, that's not Mars. She's too tall, and her hair is longer._

With a startling jolt, my jaw dropped open and the woman only stared at me. RAMG was, in fact, printed on her sleek dress. I tried to look her in the eyes, but I couldn't see the tall, red-haired woman in front of me. Instead, I saw an eight year old girl, her grubby face peering back curiously at me.

**CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC**

**Daisy**

I like this floating feeling. My limbs are light, and I'm flying across the sky. What's that? Is it a bird? A plane?

No, it's only me, Daisy Bourne. And I like how I feel right now.

**DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Chikorita**

_"Cyndaquil!" I giggled. "Roll it to me!"_

_Professor Elm's lab was as quiet as ever in New Bark Town, Johto, and I was feeling quite carefree. The day's pre-training was over, and I was officially regarded as a Johto-starter Pokémon. Cyndaquil and I had both reached level five, and we had decided to celebrate._

_In response, Cyndaquil replied, "Nope, you gotta come get it from me!" He whisked the small ball back and forth between his legs._

_Determined to snag it away from him, I tensed it, ready to charge. Cyndaquil hit the ball to each of his paws, but he clumsily fell. I smirked and exclaimed, "You should have passed it!"_

_"Will you two keep it down?" Totodile grumbled from the edge of the table. "I'm trying to go to sleep."_

_Cyndaquil exclaimed, "You're no fun. The sun hasn't even set yet, and Professor Elm hasn't come to put us back in our Pokéballs. Why don't you ever play with us?"_

_Totodile sniffed, "I don't associate myself with imbeciles who refer to themselves as 'The Mighty Macho Fire Mouse.'"_

_Huffing, Cyndaquil said, "Well, that's what I am!"_

_Totodile narrowed his eyes. "You're obviously an echidna."_

_"Am not!"_

_"Oh, stop it," I interrupted. "You two bicker every single day, and I'm sick of it. It's our last day together before the trainers come tomorrow, and you are spending it fighting. What if we never get to see each other again?"_

_Smirking, Totodile muttered, "Good riddance to the echidna."_

_Rolling my eyes, I looked around at the lab. I definitely would miss the place where I was born and then raised for six months, but I was eager to take a look at the world. Who would pick me tomorrow?_

_Professor Elm's shoes clacked noisily against the tile floor, and he entered with three Pokéball in his hands. "You three have got a big day tomorrow. Let's get some rest." He scratched his balding head. "You need to look great so you can be put on display tomorrow."_

Display. He makes it sound as if we're toys sitting on a child's bedroom shelf._ I let the comment pass._

_"Okay," I agreed as he recalled Totodile and Cyndaquil into their balls. "I'm ready and excited!" But I knew my _Chika! Chika!_ fell on deaf ears._

Alright, Johto_, I thought as Elm pressed the button on the Pokéball. _You haven't seen anything yet.

**CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC**

**Daisy**

_Daisy, Daisy_  
_Give me your answer, do_  
_I'm half crazy_  
_All for the love of you!_  
_It won't be a stylish marriage_  
_I can't afford a carriage_  
_But you'll look sweet upon the seat_  
_of a bicycle built for two!_

Is that Taylor? Is he really singing me this song? Dork… He knows I hate bikes. And come on- he knows I'm not going to marry him.

Is this real life?

Dumb cliff… I can't believe I actually fell off. Way to fail, reflexes.

**DDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Chikorita**

Stay calm. Stay calm. Wait- I think he's staring at me. That's right! Take me with you!

Or not._ I watched as the small boy's face lit up as Totodile sprayed a Water Gun attack in the air. _What a show-off.

_Cyndaquil turned to me and whispered, "It's looks like we've lost this one- but it's okay. I see dirt under his fingernails. How nasty is that?" He scratched his head with his hind leg._

_"Not near as nasty as you," I joked._

_We watched in silence as Totodile was carried away by the boy with Professor Elm hurrying after them. "See you, suckers!" Totodile hissed over his new trainer's shoulder. I grimaced._

_Once they were out of sight, the Professor rushed back in. "Okay!" He announced. "One more appointment left today."_

_I looked at Cyndaquil and mouthed,_ One?

_He only shrugged his shoulders and tipped his head at Professor Elm. He nervously swayed back and forth on the timber table, and I frowned._

_The bell of the lab chimed like a Glameow's collar, and a small, chubby girl with flaming crimson hair reluctantly stepped inside. A slightly taller boy followed closely behind her, picking at his teal locks. His sharp eyes stared me down, and I squirmed under his gaze, uncomfortable._

_"Hurry up. We don't have much time." The older boy nudged the girl harshly, and she staggered. Scowling, he added, "Your father told me to keep an eye on you, but I've got somewhere to go. Don't waste my time, Ariana."_

_A low growl built up in my throat when I saw the gaze of the smaller girl, Ariana, drop to the floor. _What a bully he is.

_Cyndaquil looked nonchalant, and I whispered, "I guess this means she's picking between you and me."_

_My friend's eyes saddened and he looked away, but I kept my focus primarily on Ariana._

_Closer to the table, she reached an arm out to touch me. I marveled at the feeling- the only human that had ever brushed me was Professor Elm, and that was only to transport me from checkup to checkup when I was a newborn Chikorita. Although her hands felt greasy, Ariana's fingers over my skin made me shiver with anticipation._

_I could tell she felt it too when she smiled a happy, lopsided grin at me. She was missing her front two teeth, and the freckles dotting her cheeks made her pale skin stand out a bit more._

_She stroked the top of my leaf, and I glanced once more at Cyndaquil. He refused to make eye contact with me, and he pointedly turned away._

_The elder boy stepped forward and muttered, "You're not really considering choosing that thing, are you?" His eyebrows creased, and I thought he looked truly terrifying. _That thing? I'm not a thing.

_The frown appeared on Ariana's face again. "Why not? She's adorable."_

_The boy sighed, "You're not looking for adorable- you're choosing a Pokémon you can battle with." He looked at me and added, "And that thing can't battle."_

_Ariana clenched her fists together by her side and gritted her teeth together. "How do you know?"_

_"Because it's a Grass-type. It's weak. Grass-types have no place on the battlefield." The boy tipped his head to one side, as if the fact was totally obvious._

_I stared in disbelief. "You can't be serious," I muttered to Cyndaquil. "He thinks Grass-types are worthless?" Without waiting for a reply, I sent a glare toward the boy._

_Sighing, Ariana said curtly, "Fine." She moved to the side and extended her hand to Cyndaquil, who gladly accepted it._

_Stumped, I thought, _Why does he think we're weak? My own mother use to tell me stories about her days on the battlefield as a mighty Meganium- she competed in the Johto League before she started breeding._ My anger built up to the point where I was frozen to the spot, unable to move._

_After playing with Cyndaquil for a while, Ariana came back to my position on the table. My heart leaped with joy- did she change her mind?_

_She picked me up and cuddled me in her arms. She leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry. I really liked you, but Archer knows best. He always does." She stepped back and nodded at Archer, and he looked pleased. He called Professor Elm to let him of know of her decision._

_The Professor took out a Pokéball from his lab coat and gave it to Ariana. She aimed the ball at Cyndaquil, and that was the last time I saw my friend. With a triumphant smirk, the boy called Archer said, "You won't regret it."_

_Ariana said nothing; she only looked sad. As she turned to exit the lab, she gave me once last glance as I sat alone on the table. Her eyes seemed to say, _I'm sorry. I wish it could have been you.

**CCCCCCCCCCCCCC**

**Daisy**

Ugh, why does it feel like I've got a really bad hangover? And where is everybody? Great, all of my friends and Pokémon are tired of me, and they've abandoned me. Thanks a lot.

I wish I had some water. I'm really thirsty. Crap- now I have to pee.

**DDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Chikorita**

When you're trapped in a Pokéball, you don't age. At all. Not a minute, not a day. You can't really think for yourself, either. You just sit in computerized space that's synthesized from Mew knows what. Honestly, I don't know how much time passed since that day happened. I'm looking at an adult version of Ariana, but I can only see the chubby eight year old peering back happily at me.

I ought to be a frail, old Meganium by now, but I'm far from it. Pokémon age differently from humans, you know. I still hold a youthful glow that should really be covered with battle scars from head to toe. She could have picked me, and we would have lived happily together, training side by side, sparring with the other members of our team.

I inwardly scold myself. How can I think these thoughts when Daisy works so hard for our team? I didn't need Ariana then, and I certainly don't need her now. I've got a perfectly capable trainer who cares about me, and possesses all of the qualities an able, skilled battler. My encounter with Ariana is left in the dust, where it should be.

Eighteen years. It's been eighteen long years, and I ought to be over myself- and her- by now.

**CCCCCCCCCCCCC**

**Daisy**

There's soil everywhere. It's in my eyes, my mouth, my ears… I want it out. I can taste it, and it tastes like blood.

I'm so confused.

Chikorita? Where are you? Help me, please. I need you.

I need you.

**DDDDDDDDDDDD**

**Chikorita**

I stared at Arianna for what seemed like a long time, but it was only mere seconds. Here she was, a fully grown woman, no longer the eight year old child I remembered from my memories.

I knew I should've started backing away right then. She wore the Team RAMG uniform. I didn't want to believe it, but she had become one of them. She associated herself with Mars and Proton, and others like them. I don't know her anymore.

_You never did!_ I scolded myself inwardly

Ariana stared straight back, her maroon eyes piercing my own. The words that came out of her mouth were, "You don't usually see Chikorita around here."

_No,_ I silently agreed.

"I supposed you're pretty rare, then." Ariana folded her arms across her chest, and I gazed at the elaborate designs on her sleeves- a criss cross pattern.

I'm not sure how I recognized her. She's changed a lot- her teeth have grown in, of course, and her hair was styled as a woman's should be, so I shouldn't have associated her with the little girl so many years ago- but somehow, she's the girl. She's got to be.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" She asked, impatient. "We can come with me quietly, or you can cause a ruckus. Archer said I couldn't come back unless I had a rare Pokémon with me, and I guess you're good enough."

_"No!" _I suddenly spat. _"I wasn't good enough for Archer!"_ "Chika! Chikorita!"

Startled, Ariana asked, "Geez, why are you so upset? It was only a suggestion." She took a step forward, placing a hand on her belt containing her Pokéball. "Actually, it was more than that."

Adrenaline pumping, I fled. Forget what I said earlier about being slow- I've never sprinted so fast in my entire life. I never looked back to see if Ariana was behind me, but I doubted it. There were plenty of other rare Pokémon in the forest to find.

When I was certain Ariana wasn't behind me, I flopped down to the ground.

_So… many… questions…_

_What is she doing in Kioku, and more specifically, this particular forest? Why does Archer want a rare Pokémon?_

_Did she recognize me?_

Probably not. She's probably seen dozen of Chikorita identical to myself in eighteen years.

An unknown voice in me spoke, _Put her behind you. Focus on Daisy._

Snapping my head up, I remembered that Daisy needed me to help her. Getting my bearings, I realized I was less than five minutes from the camp.

_Don't worry. I'm on my way to help you._

_I'm your starter, not Ariana's._

**CCCCCCCCCCCCCC**

**Hello, all!**

**Eh, I hope you don't think this chapter is too shabby- and don't worry, later in the story, we'll be coming back to visit this sub-plot. I like Ariana; as I said in an earlier A/N, I do enjoy writing about the villains! To my reviewers:**

**Rgooch- Thanks! I do hope I captured the emotions as best as possible. I thought it was a heartfelt scene. And I love graphic detail...**

**Cookie Krisp- I hope this chapter answered your review! Putting myself in Chikorita's shoes- er, stubby feet?- was quite a challenge. Thanks for your meaningful review!**

**sweetlilsunshine- That's... creepy. I'm sorry if it freaked you out! I didn't do it on purpose, I swear :)**

**Happy Martin Luther King, J.R. Day to you!**


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